


Picture Perfect

by WillowTea



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Art Student Yama, College AU, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, Genderfluid Yamaguchi Tadashi, Insecure Yama, Kuroo is obsessed with musicals, M/M, Photography Student Tsukki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-09-26 09:48:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 90,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9884309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillowTea/pseuds/WillowTea
Summary: Tsukishima Kei has been in and out of relationships his whole life. Kuroo says it’s because he comes off as too cold and unlovable. Tsukishima believes that it’s because he’s incapable of being loved. When he’s assigned a project that involves finding a model for a photo shoot, Tsukishima searches desperately for someone who sparks his muse. The perfect model shows up that same day at Karasuno Coffee, but disappears before Tsukishima has the chance to approach them. What will Tsukishima do if he can’t find them? And if he does find them, could this spark of his muse actually be love?





	1. Daydream Darling

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty, folks! This one had been long in the works and I'm excited to finally get to it! This is my first Haikyuu!! fic and I'm excited that it's mainly Tsukkiyama. 
> 
> Established relationships are Bokuto and Akaashi, and Daichi and Suga. 
> 
> Chapter 15 is the smut chapter, for those looking to avoid it. I'll give another warning at the end of chapter 14 for those looking out for it, but that will be a while away. 
> 
> This fic was inspired by [this](http://melonorcaart.tumblr.com/post/155300280034/a-bit-older-tadashi-yes-piercings-tattoos-and) beautiful piece of artwork by [melonorca](http://melonorca.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Edit: Thanks to my amazing new[beta](https://is-this-even-a-thing.tumblr.com/), this chapter has been edited!**

The dark apartment buzzed with the sounds of space heaters behind closed doors as the small click of a toaster being turned on echoed through the empty kitchen. Standing beside the toaster, in the dim light of the kitchen’s overhead, stood a rather tired looking college student whose head very nearly brushed the ceiling. Waiting for the toaster to finish with his pop tarts, Tsukishima Kei leaned against the counter and stared out the open window of the second floor apartment in which he lived.

It was seven in the morning on a Tuesday in early September and there was little light coming in through the window. Only a dimly lit sky was visible from where he stood, but he could already tell it was going to be clear and sunny. To most, this was a wonderful start to the first day of school, to Tsukishima, it was no more than a nuisance.

Quietly, the click of a door opening sounded and the hinges of the only bedroom visible from the kitchen creaked as it was pushed open. In the light coming from the kitchen it was hard to see the figure in the doorway, but Tsukishima was already completely aware of what Kuroo looked like first thing in the morning.

“Why do you get up so early?” Kuroo muttered, grumpy and groggy from being awake at this early hour. Tsukishima had known Kuroo Tetsurou for seven years. He only knew this because Kuroo enjoyed celebrating their friendship anniversary and it had been two days previous. Having known Kuroo for this long, he knew all too well how much of a morning person he was not.

“I have a class. Why are you up?” Tsukishima responded, turning toward the toaster when it clattered violently to signal the completion of its toasting job. He grabbed the pop tarts from the machine and placed them on a paper towel he had folded earlier. The perfectly toasted edges made Tsukishima grin internally. He wasn’t much of a person for visible emotion.

“Because you’re up.” Kuroo groaned, leaning against the door frame and rubbing his hands down his face, as if this would help him wake up. The shorter man was dishevelled, his hair sticking up in many different directions, his quickly thrown on sweatpants wrinkled and in need of a cleaning and the dark circles under his eyes darker than ever. He was in a good mood.

“You didn’t have to get out of bed.” Tsukishima muttered, breaking his pop tarts into smaller pieces to allow them to cool off. Kuroo shrugged and shuffled toward the kitchen, mumbling a response Tsukishima was barely able to catch.

“You know I’m a light sleeper.” Kuroo was right. Having known the older man for so long, Tsukishima was better adapted to dealing with his antics than anyone. Besides Bokuto. There had been many a time in which Kuroo had invited himself over to the Tsukishima residence to spend the night and had woken up every time Tsukishima got up to use the bathroom. He fell asleep rather easily, a gift most light sleepers were not blessed with, but he also woke up with even the slightest ruffle of clothing. Sometimes Tsukishima could get up without Kuroo hearing him, but Bokuto was the only one who could accomplish this feat every time.

“Whatever. Just go back to sleep. You don’t want to be tired for your first class.” Tsukishima only earned a grumble in response rather than well-formed words. Kuroo was never the most eloquent in the mornings, but his words could spark Tsukishima’s muse better than most poems. As he finished up his pop tarts, Kuroo helped himself to some milk straight from the jug. When Tsukishima shot him a nasty look, Kuroo just shrugged. He had been doing this same thing for the last two years and didn’t seem ready to drop the habit.

When Tsukishima had finally finished his pop tarts, he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Adjusting the straps until they were comfortable, he headed for the door, feeling the familiar indifference toward life take him over. This was going to be a long year.

“Have a good day.” Kuroo called as Tsukishima headed out, sounding mocking, like he was trying to be Tsukishima’s mom. After they had first met, Tsukishima had gotten used to Kuroo’s need for sarcasm in his everyday life. It was almost as if the smaller man lived on it. He didn’t seem to need much of anything else, anyway.

The trek down the stairs and across the street wasn’t tiresome; Tsukishima had done it many times before. Since they had enrolled in the same university, Tsukishima and Kuroo had roomed in the same apartment complex. Sure, the actual apartment had changed every year, but they were still there. It was a reasonable distance from campus and a short distance from their favorite coffee shop.  
Karasuno Coffee was a small building on the outside, appearing cosy and warm and welcoming. Which it was, it was just far bigger on the inside than most thought. Tsukishima had been the same when he and Kuroo had first discovered it.

The misleading exterior was petite at best, lined with dark wood and a few small windows along the sides. The front had a porch-like structure with a few tables that welcomed guests during warmer weather. Above the covering was a big sign which read ‘Karasuno Coffee’ and underneath the larger letters it detailed out that they also served tea and cakes, which was far more enticing to some people. Tsukishima personally came for the coffee.

The inside, however, was far larger.

Stepping in through the door, Tsukishima took in the familiar smell of coffee brewing and the extremely low buzz of chatter. The place was virtually empty this early in the morning, allowing Tsukishima little wait.

“Ah, Tsukishima! The usual?” The voice came from the front where the shop owner often served the many college students that came through. All Tsukishima had to do was nod and Ukai was off, disappearing into the back for a second before emerging again with a bag of beans. Tsukishima had always thought his long hair was funny, a little out of place for the large man he was. But Ukai often said he liked looking less intimidating, since his physique and piercings scared off a lot of people.

Slipping into a booth near one of the windows, Tsukishima waited for his coffee, sighing contentedly when he was able to sit. Despite being more of a morning person than Kuroo, he was still exhausted. Waking up early was not normally something he enjoyed, but he could pull it off if he had a cup of coffee.

Staring around the room, Tsukishima took in what had come to feel like home. There were booths lining the walls, the ones by the windows occupied by the few other college students up this early. In the middle of the room was the bakery and registers. Large, glass windows displayed the goods up for sale, made fresh every morning by the resident coffee bean.

The room went in an almost complete three-sixty but stopped to give room to the storage space behind the counter. Where there weren’t booths there were square café tables, most of which sat beside support beams to allow for an electricity outlet. The walls were painted a dark brown below the chair rail and a lighter brown above it, giving the large space a warm, closed in feel. All over the walls hung odds and ends and posters and pictures, not many of which Tsukishima knew the origin of.

“Tsukishima! Your drink’s ready!” This shout was not from Ukai, who knew what kind of tone and volume to use when speaking to Tsukishima. Feeling a slight headache manifest itself, Tsukishima groaned and rose out of the seat toward the register. He found what he expected. The resident coffee bean, also known as Hinata Shouyou, stood behind the register waiting for him. He bounced on the balls of his feet and Tsukishima was glad he had put down the coffee cup or he was afraid the tiny ball of energy would have dropped it.

“Will that be all?” He asked, voice taking a small step backward, but not enough to completely stop annoying the taller man. Hinata was small for his age, something he got offended about if brought up, with a full head of fiery red hair. It was always a mess, but the small man insisted he brushed it every morning. He had started working for Ukai the same year Tsukishima had enrolled in school and he was there every morning, bouncing off the walls like he had just drunk five cups of coffee.

“Yeah.” Tsukishima muttered, pulling out his wallet and handing Hinata his card. There was no pushing from the tiny baker, who almost always insisted people buy something he made. Hinata knew well, though, the reaction he was likely to get from Tsukishima, since it had been the same since he had started making treats.

After Hinata slid the card, Tsukishima took the drink and slid his card back into his wallet. He took a sip of the scalding liquid, not even noticing as it burned down his throat, and turned to take his leave.  
“Have a great day, Tsukishima! And tell Kuroo to stop by, I haven’t seen him in a while.” Ukai called as Tsukishima left the shop. The tall student held up a hand to wave at Ukai in acknowledgement of what he’d said.

Campus wasn’t very far from Karasuno, just up the street and across a cross walk, so Tsukishima was in amongst the other early morning students within minutes. The busy sidewalks weren’t quite packed yet, but there were a lot of students walking about, heading to or from class. Tsukishima’s class was in a smaller building on the far side of campus, closest to Karasuno. It only took a few minutes before he was headed downhill, directly toward the building.

As a photography student, he was in this building a lot. Kuroo had a few classes in it, but most of his were scattered about. The writing major was part of the English department and the English majors didn’t have a single building dedicated to their classes, so they were everywhere. However, photography was an art major, and Tsukishima’s first class was a photography class where they got hands on experience. It wasn’t that he hadn’t already gotten some experience from other classes, but this taught improvement on the spot, so he was looking forward to it.

The front lobby took up a lot of the building and both floors, revealing the stairs and a balcony above. A large chandelier took up the majority of the ceiling near the second floor and was lit far brighter than Tsukishima had the patience for. Luckily, his class was on the first floor and he didn’t have to deal with its light for very long before it was behind him and he was headed down the long hallway toward the studio.

Taking a left, he found the door to his classroom already open with a few students seated inside. It was a large room, rather bare all around with a few whiteboards lining the walls. The front had a desk and a lecture stand with a computer seated on it. The desks were plain tan pieces of thick plastic and some kind of stone, attached to the chairs by metal poles.

Tsukishima’s ideal seat was on the far left of the room, three back from the front where he could see and hear, but not stand out. Unless he was taller than his other classmates, then he would definitely stand out. Luckily, this year, it didn’t seem to be the case. Several other tall guys came into the room as students trickled in, the professor after most of them.

“Alright, class. Looks like it’s time to start. I’m Professor Yamada, but most, if not all of you, should know that by now.” The man started, and Tsukishima half listened. It was syllabus day, the first of the semester always was. Tsukishima only partially listened unless something struck him as particularly important. However, he had taken classes from Professor Yamada two years in a row and had learned his syllabi generally had the same information on them.

For the majority of class they ran through the syllabus, Tsukishima barely paying attention, eyes grazing the plain black letters on the page before him. As usual, the small packet had been passed backward from where Professor Yamada had handed them out and Tsukishima had passed it behind himself to the student sitting there. It wasn’t very large, but with little facts and tid bits; Professor Yamada made it longer than it needed to be.

It wasn’t until Professor Yamada reached the end of the syllabus that Tsukishima started listening, the large, bold letters ‘Final Project’ grabbing his attention.

“Now, this part you don’t have to worry much about now, since it’s not due until May, but I felt the need to introduce it ahead of time to give you some time to think about it.” Yamada said, Tsukishima now fully listening to what the professor was saying. This was definitely something particularly important, so he stopped to listen as Professor Yamada clarified.

“The final project for this class will be a photo shoot with a model. You get to choose your model and a theme for the shoot. Try applying what you’ve learned makes a good model when looking for yours.” Professor Yamada explained, moving down the list of rules and other projects the syllabus mentioned. It was the final, so it was really far away, but Tsukishima could already feel the buzz as the students whispered about what they wanted to do.

Who would his model be?

Tsukishima could get plenty of good ideas from Kuroo for the theme and location, but a model? All the people Tsukishima knew were attractive in their own way, sure, but none of them struck his muse nor would be able to pull off a modelling gig very well.

Ukai was tall, powerful, and would definitely fit well into some kind of street shoot. However, he was easily flustered. Despite his intimidating demeanor and short temper, he was actually more afraid of people than he cared to admit. Plus, he was a very busy man with work and school, so asking him would be pointless. Tsukishima already knew what his answer would be.

Hinata was a big no mostly because Tsukishima wouldn’t be able to put up with his antics for that long. His overly enthusiastic attitude grated against Tsukishima’s nerves and he was constantly saying stupid things. Tsukishima had always felt like punching him and if they worked together on this project, Tsukishima knew he would end up hitting him. Also, Hinata’s messy hair wouldn’t be easy to work with and the smaller student didn’t seem capable of sitting still for very long.

Kuroo would insist on being his model, Tsukishima just knew it. With his smaller size and easy to work with hair, he was the easiest back up plan. He had muscles Tsukishima had never seen on anyone else and, other than the way he styled his hair, he was perfectly symmetrical, something they needed to look for in their models. However, he was high maintenance and Tsukishima wasn’t sure he would be able to handle his best friend for that long.

Bokuto would likely also insist on being the model. Or he would offer up his boyfriend. Bokuto himself wasn’t unattractive, he just wasn’t the prettiest, which would easily offend Bokuto if Tsukishima said anything. His hair was just an odd color and styled in a manner similar to that of Hinata’s, but done purposefully. Bokuto constantly refused to be seen without his hair gelled; only his boyfriend was allowed that honor. Plus, with his almost Hinata-like personality he would be difficult to handle, especially because he was similar to Kuroo in the fact that he was high maintenance and a bit clingy.  
Akaashi, Bokuto’s boyfriend, was definitely beautiful. Tsukishima had even found himself staring on occasion. The man had beautiful eyes, a cool personality, and was the only one who could truly keep Bokuto in check. His body was symmetrical and lithe, graceful and definitely something Tsukishima could work with. The biggest problem was Akaashi’s insecurities surrounding his body. He had a beautiful physique and gorgeous figure, but Akaashi constantly wore baggy clothes and insisted he wasn’t as beautiful as Bokuto told him he was.

After those five, Tsukishima didn’t know anyone else. There was that one girl, Yachi, from his photography class last year, but she was tiny and shy and Tsukishima wouldn’t know how to bring it up with her.

Thoughts of who to ask to model still raced through his head by the time he returned to Karasuno in the afternoon, after two of his three classes had been completed. The cafe was now alive with a steady buzz, most of the booths occupied by two or three college students. There were other locals among them, but a college town was well known for its crowded cafes. Most students found their choice café early in their first year and frequented it to avoid confusion when they walked into a different café.

Karasuno just happened to be Tsukishima’s choice. This was mostly because Kuroo had arrived a year before him and had insisted they go to the café every day. After a few months, Tsukishima had grown fond of the place and would come without Kuroo’s insistence.

“Tsukishima! Nice to see you!” The exclamation came from the front where a group of people stood around Ukai and Hinata. Among the group were Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kuroo. All of them stood about with drinks or cakes in their hands and turned to see where Bokuto was waving at.

“Akaashi, Bokuto, nice to see you too.” Tsukishima muttered, approaching the group as he said it. Sometimes he forgot just how many friends he had. When he did it always surprised him to think that they all actually enjoyed hanging around him. Kuroo had told him he always seemed cold or disinterested, but he was still there, he was even rooming with him. Bokuto had known him for nearly as long as Kuroo and Akaashi was always there because Bokuto was. He had only known Hinata and Ukai for two years, yet they never walked away when he approached.

“So, how are classes so far?” Kuroo asked, nudging Tsukishima as he asked the question, as if there was a deeper meaning to what he asked. Tsukishima shrugged at the question and thought back to what had happened during the start of his day.

“Not terrible.” Tsukishima responded, knowing that his response was short and not what Kuroo had been looking for. This was confirmed by the click of the tongue his friend gave him in response to his response.

“Anything interesting happen?” Kuroo pushed, as if he were Tsukishima’s mother and needed to know some juicy detail Tsukishima didn’t know about himself. Tsukishima sighed deeply, annoyed that he was even friends with this guy. Still, he knew there was no avoiding answering the question and he would have to respond eventually. Sooner was better than later, considering all the pestering he was going to get if he chose later.

“My photography professor introduced our final project already.” Tsukishima offered, wondering if maybe Kuroo would drop it at that. For having known him for so long, sometimes Tsukishima got his hopes up about the attitude Kuroo had toward certain things. When it came to Tsukishima’s private life, he was far more interested than Tsukishima was comfortable with.

“Ooh! What do you have to do?” Kuroo asked, making Tsukishima sigh yet again. It was tiring living with this guy, but something about his insistence in knowing about Tsukishima’s classes was endearing. Annoying, yet endearing.

“We have to do a photo shoot with a model of our choice.” That had been what Tsukishima had been holding back, attempting to keep this news from Kuroo as long as possible. The reaction was exactly as he had expected it. Both Kuroo and Bokuto gasped, the spiky haired man suddenly drawn to the conversation. Tsukishima prepared himself for the worst, and got pretty much what he had expected.  
“Really!? Then it should be me! You know I would make the best model.” Kuroo exclaimed, grinning widely as if to show off his model worthiness. It only proved further why Tsukishima didn’t want him as his model.

“What are you talking about? You know I would definitely be the better model!” Bokuto exclaimed, causing Ukai to chuckle. The older student found it amusing that the two were fighting over something so silly, which it was. Tsukishima didn’t feel like they needed an all-out war to decide this, especially since he had already decided.

“It’s not going to be either of you two. I just need to find someone else.” Tsukishima explained rather matter-of-factly. Both Bokuto and Kuroo took on extremely offended expressions and instantly began arguing over the fact that they would be a better model than whoever Tsukishima had in mind. This caused Ukai to laugh harder and Akaashi began trying to get Bokuto to calm down. Hinata joined in on the antics, arguing with Kuroo and Bokuto about which of them would be the better model. He pointed out their individual traits, commenting on which would be best and eventually coming to his own conclusion that Bokuto and Kuroo’s son would be the best choice.

As the laughter became uproariously loud, Tsukishima tuned them out to scan the café, bored out of his mind by his friends arguing. Akaashi’s soft voice was honestly the only one Tsukishima could handle, and yet he was stuck with the louder one as a roommate. Sometimes Tsukishima would single out Akaashi on group outings just for a moment of perfect calm, which was basically what Akaashi was. It was too bad asking him to be the model would make the man nervous.

Tsukishima sighed as he tuned them out, continuing to wonder how he ended up as friends with all of them. He didn’t entirely understand why he hung out with them or why they hung out with him, but they did. Turning away from them he watched as the door opened and someone walked in.

His attention was taken back to the group as Hinata laughed loudly, patting Tsukishima on the shoulder over the counter as he did so.

“Anyway, good luck finding a model. I gotta run. Have a nice day everyone!” The group called out ‘goodbye’s and ‘have a nice day’s as Hinata turned toward the backroom to drop off his apron and grab his bag. Ukai turned as Hinata did to leave, not saying anything. The conversation resumed as Ukai disappeared, since the man had never been participating in it anyway. Absently, Tsukishima’s eyes followed Ukai to the front register where the person who had walked in stood, waiting to order.

Tsukishima froze.

Standing before Ukai was beauty incarnate.

Before Ukai was what appeared to be a young man, Tsukishima was almost sure he was male. However, his lithe physique and long black cardigan could have easily thrown Tsukishima’s opinion in the other direction. Along with the black cardigan, he wore black skinny jeans that hugged beautifully slim legs from his thighs to his ankles, the graceful way in which he stood showing off the skin between his pants and his shoes. There was a hint of ankle before his foot disappeared into the black converse on his feet, small and delicate, as if a fairy were standing right there.

Tsukishima’s frozen body wasn’t moving, but his eyes scanned him up and down slowly, moving back upward toward his head where thick, dark brown hair tumbled down his neck. It was pulled back in a small ponytail, but only half of it was contained in the half-heartedly tied hair tie. The rest of it fell to the nape of his neck, hiding slightly beneath the collar of his cardigan. It was as if someone had melted chocolate onto his head, Tsukishima couldn’t help the feeling that he needed to reach forward and pet it. It looked so soft.

The next thing Tsukishima noticed was the light playing off of something near his hair as he turned his head, as if in slow motion. There were black earrings at the top of his ear, each one glinting teasingly in the light, tempting Tsukishima closer. They were accompanied by a small gage in his ear lobe, barely big enough to fit a pin. They clipped firmly onto well-tanned skin, golden brown like a finely roasted marshmallow. Or the toasted edges of a nicely done strawberry pop tart.

What struck Tsukishima the most were his freckles.

The stars had to be jealous of the small, brown spots sprayed across the tanned skin of this young man. They rivalled the night sky in both beauty and number, disappearing beneath clothing and popping back up again on every exposed inch of skin. Even the small bit of exposed ankle had freckles that played peek-a-boo every time the young man moved his foot.

On top of his freckles, peeking out from the collar of his cardigan, were solid black star tattoos. They were hard to see from the angle he was standing at, but Tsukishima could tell that that was what they were.

Tsukishima was so enraptured by the beautiful young man before him, he didn’t even hear his friends arguing about who was to be the model for the shoot. He didn’t notice when Akaashi finally said it was going to be Tsukishima’s decision. He didn’t notice when Bokuto groaned at this and Kuroo insisted that that didn’t mean they couldn’t try to convince him to choose one of them.

Tsukishima did notice, however, when the beautiful man looked over.

The starry skinned man had bright, beautiful amber eyes that shone like the sun had been planted right into their core. For a split second, his wide eyes stared right into Tsukishima’s eyes, not registering that they had even made eye contact. As soon as the second was over he looked away, but kept glancing back when he realized Tsukishima was staring. The fluttery way in which his blinked, the pink coloration on his skin from the blush, and the way he clearly stuttered when Ukai handed him his drink was endearing. Yet, Tsukishima hadn’t even spoken to him.

Then something ran into him.

“Tsukishima, tell Bokuto I’m going to be your model.” Kuroo whined into his ear and he was forced to look away from the beautiful person before him. Tsukishima groaned and pushed Kuroo off of him, his annoyance with the man stronger. As he fought off the dark haired man, he hastily thought of the beautiful man he had just seen, desperately wanting to go over and talk to him, even though he had no idea what he would say.

“Neither of you are going to be my model, now knock it off.” Tsukishima growled as Bokuto attempted to launch into an argument about why he should be the model. Tsukishima shot him a nasty look that told him to stop arguing the point, it had already been decided. With a small pout, Bokuto finally gave up and Tsukishima finally whipped his head back around to the front counter.

He was gone.

Turning his head swiftly in a complete three-sixty, Tsukishima noticed the lack of a certain, beautiful person. With the amount of people in the café, he could have easily blended in, but Tsukishima was sure he would be able to see him if he had sat down. Yet, there was no freckled beauty anywhere to be seen.

“Where’d he go?” Tsukishima muttered aloud, eyes narrowing with concern as he scanned the café one more time. Since the argument had been so forcefully dropped, Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kuroo had nothing to do but watch in confusion as Tsukishima looked around the café.

“Who?” Kuroo asked, not sounding terribly concerned about the whole situation, turning his face away from Tsukishima to sip from his coffee cup. Tsukishima finally turned back to the group to face the indifferent Kuroo, the concerned Akaashi, and the confused Bokuto.

“There was this guy just a second ago, ordering a drink. He was…he was the most beautiful person I have ever seen.” Tsukishima didn’t normally spill his heart out about anything, but this was really important all of a sudden. Tsukishima knew he was going to have to use this guy for the project or the entire thing wouldn’t go as he wanted it to. He had to find him.

“Aww! Is Tsukishima in loooove~?” Bokuto cooed, leaning forward, pressing himself against Tsukishima as he said this. Tsukishima pushed at him, but the slightly shorter man pressed harder and his stronger legs provided Tsukishima with a real struggle trying to get him off. Grumbling, Tsukishima pressed his hands against Bokuto’s arms in attempts to get him off.

“Obviously not, idiot. You can’t fall in love just by looking at someone.” Tsukishima protested as Akaashi reached forward and goaded Bokuto off of Tsukishima. When he was finally a safe distance away from the tall, grumpy blonde, Tsukishima brushed off his clothes and smoothed out the wrinkles.

“Au contraire! I fell in love with Akaashi when I first saw him.” Bokuto retorted lightly, wrapping his arms around Akaashi’s shoulders and nuzzling his face into his boyfriend’s shoulder. Akaashi patted Bokuto’s arms as Tsukishima rolled his eyes, crossing his arms defensively.

“What did he look like, Tsukishima?” Akaashi asked, ignoring the fact that Bokuto was burying his face deeper into his neck. Tsukishima visibly relaxed as he recalled the beautiful man he had seen only moments earlier.

“He had brown hair to his neck, half of it pulled into a ponytail. His eyes were amber and he had freckles.” Tsukishima said, turning to look Akaashi in the eye before sighing and melting, as if the freckles had gotten to him. “Akaashi, he had a lot of freckles.” Tsukishima added, face visibly relaxing as he said this. Bokuto was too busy nuzzling further into Akaashi’s neck to see Tsukishima’s face, but Akaashi saw clearly what Bokuto had said earlier.

Tsukishima had fallen in love at first sight.

“I’ll try keeping an eye out for him for you, Tsukishima.” Akaashi promised, knowing better than to point out the obvious when Tsukishima so adamantly denied it. All he knew to do was offer help when neither Bokuto nor Kuroo would. Since Kuroo had forcefully tuned out the conversation and Bokuto was busy trying to break a nuzzling record, Akaashi knew neither of them would be of any help.

\---

Neither of them was of any help for a month straight.

Tsukishima continued going to classes, dropping by Karasuno as often as he could, and taking pictures to practice for his photo shoot, but the beautiful young man continued to hide himself. Tsukishima spent every waking hour he was allowed in Karasuno Coffee, only leaving when they closed or when he had classes.

He spent so long in there that he unintentionally made a new friend.

Sitting at a table on his own on a particularly crowded day, Tsukishima had been joined by a student just barely shorter than him, the closest to his height anyone had gotten recently. He had asked if it was alright to sit there and Tsukishima had mumbled an indifferent ‘yes’ before resuming his work on a paper for one of his general education classes. Occasionally he would glance at the door to the café, hoping that maybe, just maybe, the man would walk in.

As usual, he never did.

However, the tall, black haired student continued to sit with Tsukishima. One day he was even there when Kuroo and Bokuto showed up between classes. Talking had commenced and, before long, Tsukishima had a small headache over his friends’ antics and the annoying attitude of the other student, name: Kageyama Tobio. Tsukishima really did prefer when he was silent, but the conversation that day had drawn Kageyama into their group without Tsukishima’s permission.

It was too bad they didn’t ask for his permission, since Kageyama would join Tsukishima, Bokuto, Kuroo, or even Akaashi whenever he saw them in the café. Ukai began to call Kageyama by name after a few weeks and soon even Hinata would talk to him as if they had been friends the whole time.

It was, frankly, obnoxious. Tsukishima hadn’t asked for a new friend, he had asked for the beautiful man.

“Why does Tsukishima glance at the door like that?”Kageyama had asked one afternoon as the group chilled in a booth, Tsukishima working on homework, glancing at the door occasionally.

“He’s looking for this ghost he saw over a month ago.” Kuroo muttered in response. The fact that Tsukishima was looking for a beautiful man had become common information among the group. Even Ukai knew, though Tsukishima insisted no one tell Hinata. He would never hear the end of this if Hinata found out. Though, he never did hear the end of it with Kuroo and Bokuto on his case about it.  
Kuroo had started calling him a ghost and teasing Tsukishima that he didn’t exist. Bokuto twisted some of those same teasing comments into his teasing about Tsukishima’s non-existent boyfriend. It had become obnoxious because they would bring up the guy every once in a while and Tsukishima would be subjected to the teasing until they left.

“A ghost?” Kageyama asked, head snapping toward Kuroo, surprised that Tsukishima was the kind to believe in ghosts. Kuroo scoffed before taking another sip of his drink.

“He’s not really a ghost, but we’ve started to believe he is, since we haven’t seen him since the first day of the semester.” Kuroo responded with an indifferent shrug. Since Tsukishima had seen him he had continued to insist that this man would be his model for his shoot. To say Kuroo was still bitter over this was an understatement. Bokuto had gotten over it ages ago, but Kuroo was salty over anything that seemed like a betrayal by his friends.

“Do you know his name?” Kageyama inquired, turning to look back at Tsukishima right as the blonde whipped his head around at the sound of the cafes bell as someone entered. It was amusing watching him, but knowing the reasoning behind it made it funnier, oddly.

“Nope. We didn’t think to ask Ukai immediately, so Ukai doesn’t remember.” Kuroo responded, sighing as if it annoyed him that they were talking about Tsukishima’s pretty boy. In all honesty, it was a little intriguing, knowing someone had caught Tsukishima’s attention. For the longest time Kuroo had assumed Tsukishima wouldn’t find love, his cold attitude scaring away any prospective suitors. Yet, here he was, fawning and swooning over a ghost.

“All we know is that he has brown hair, amber eyes, and ‘a lot of freckles’.” Kuroo explained, adding air quotes near the end to emphasize the way Tsukishima described the mystery man. Kageyama let out a small chuckle and nodded. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to help keep an eye out, but if it had been a month since they had first seen the guy, the actual likelihood of seeing him again was slim.  
That was how it went for a month. The group would hang out at Karasuno either helping Tsukishima look for the mystery guy or teasing him about it. For some, it was both. Ukai was the only useful one, asking customers every once in a while if they knew the guy. Most shook their heads or gave Ukai a confused look. He would send them on their way, a big sigh and the kindest smile he could muster as he did so.

“No go, Tsukishima!” Ukai called after one of these particular moments, turning to head back into the backroom to grab something.

Karasuno was practically dead. It was the middle of the day, when most students were either out for lunch or in class. Tsukishima had brought lunch with him to avoid being tempted to leave for even just a second. He knew he had Ukai on his side, but a part of him wanted to be the first to see the guy, to finally say hi.

He sat, alone, in one of the booths near the windows. He wasn’t watching out of it like he sometimes did, but instead was focused on whatever homework assignment he needed to complete on his computer. The door opened and the bell rang as Ukai came back from the front.

“Welcome to Karasuno!” He called as he dropped the bag of coffee beans behind the counter to take the guy’s order.

As usual, Tsukishima looked up to see who it was. Having grown used to being disappointed, he looked back down with a sigh.

Not as usual, Tsukishima did a double take.

There, walking to the front register toward Ukai, was the guy. He was almost exactly as Tsukishima remembered him. Perfect height, beautiful body, brown hair pulled back, and star-like freckles spotting his skin.

He was just as, if not more, beautiful the second time.

Tsukishima shot to his feet, leaving his booth but freezing just before passing the edge of the table. What was he supposed to say? He had been waiting months for this guy to show up, and there he was, ordering a drink from Ukai, who wore an expression Tsukishima was sure reflected his own. Part of him had enjoyed the mystery of not knowing who he was and never needing to speak to him. However, the beautiful man he wanted for his photo shoot was headed toward a seat in the very same café Tsukishima was currently in.  
Ukai waved him over.

Breaking out of his trance, Tsukishima walked toward Ukai at the front, staring off toward the guy who was sitting alone at a booth by the door. He might have been slightly frightened of approaching him without a reason, but Ukai was a friend, he could talk to him.

“His name is Yamaguchi. Here’s his drink. Now go over there!” Ukai handed Tsukishima a cup with the name ‘Yamaguchi’ scrawled across it. Before he knew it he was being shoved toward the booth Yamaguchi was sitting in. Ukai had provided him with the perfect opportunity to start talking to him, yet, Tsukishima still felt hesitation in his step.

The booth wasn’t very far away and before Tsukishima knew it he was standing right next to him, mere inches away from the very person he had been chasing after for a month. He was tempted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Um, Yamaguchi?” Tsukishima’s voice almost cracked as he finally said his name, but he managed to hold it back and speak mostly normally. Without a sign of hesitation the young man turned his head to find Tsukishima standing above him and, when their eyes met, his gaze widened with shock.

“Ah! I recognize you! Do you work here?” Yamaguchi asked, his voice almost as beautiful as he was. Tsukishima handed him the drink as he spoke and then took a seat across from him, laughing slightly as if what Yamaguchi had said was funny.

“No, I’m just good friends with the owner.” Tsukishima responded, not sure if he was supposed to make eye contact or if there was somewhere else he was supposed to look. Yamaguchi’s eyes were beautiful, but Tsukishima wasn’t sure how long he could handle looking right into them without melting.

“Oh? You must come here a lot to be good friends with the owner.” Yamaguchi responded, a shy smile crossing his features. It was almost endearing, the way his lips twitched awkwardly into the expression. Tsukishima felt nervous around this man, and he had never felt awkward around anyone before. The feeling was new and not completely welcomed.

“Yeah, since my first year here.” Tsukishima responded and Yamaguchi’s eyes widened a bit more. It was beautiful, the way they lit up a bit as he looked surprised. Tsukishima was finding it harder and harder to look away.

“That’s a while, I assume.” Yamaguchi said and Tsukishima nodded, not sure what else to say. For a moment they were silent, no words were exchanged and looks become awkward and fluttery. “Um, I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi. What’s your name?” Yamaguchi finally offered, reaching a hand over the table to shake Tsukishima’s. Glad for something to finally talk about, Tsukishima took the hand, surprised at the calluses and rough skin. He had expected angel-like softness.

“Tsukishima Kei. How long have you been going here?” Tsukishima asked, hoping to advance the conversation a little bit as he asked. Yamaguchi removed his hand from the handshake and smiled.  
“I’ve been going here for two years, three if you count this one.” He responded and Tsukishima grinned, glad to find that Yamaguchi was closer to his age than he had thought. He almost looked like it was his first year, but if he had learned anything from Hinata, looks could be deceiving.

“Same here. What are you majoring in?” Tsukishima asked, glad to finally have some kind of conversation rolling, even if it was the stereotypical ‘college talk’.

“I’m an art major. What about you?” Yamaguchi responded, reciprocating the question without hesitation. This was his chance to bring up the project. He could ask Yamaguchi about being his model and they could get to know each other at the same time. That would be perfect.

“Photography. We’re actually doing a formal photo shoot for a final. We need a model and everything.” Tsukishima explained and Yamaguchi ‘ooh’ed at this. Good, he was interested. Tsukishima opened his mouth to finally ask Yamaguchi to be his model when Hinata raced up to the table, out of breath as if he had been running a marathon.

“Yamaguchi! Sorry for making you wait! I had to get my stuff and then I spilled coffee beans everywhere and then it just got really crazy.” His words stopped when he spotted Tsukishima sitting across from Yamaguchi. “Tsukishima!? Do you two know each other?” Hinata asked, head whipping between the two of them with a confused look on his face.

“We just met.” Yamaguchi offered, pushing himself to his feet and slinging his bag over his shoulder as he shuffled out of the booth. “It was nice meeting you, Tsukishima. I’ve got to go to class now, but maybe we can talk later.” Yamaguchi offered, a small smile on his face that almost made Tsukishima freeze in place.

For a moment Tsukishima did freeze, unsure what he was supposed to do. Did he ask now? Did he wait until they knew each other better? What if they never saw each other again? Knowing now that Hinata actually knew Yamaguchi made the last question seem impossible, but Tsukishima’s mind was on doubt overdrive.

“Wait! I want you!” Tsukishima shot to his feet, words spilling from his mouth before he even had a chance to think through what he was saying. Yamaguchi turned around and lifted his eyebrows, face turning a slight shade of pink. Tsukishima realized what he had said a beat after he said it and suddenly felt himself heating up.

“I-I mean as my m-model! As my model! For the photo shoot for…my photography…class….” Tsukishima explained, feeing his explanation failing the longer he spoke. There was a snort from somewhere behind Yamaguchi and Tsukishima regretted instantly speaking up with Hinata in the area. He had avoided telling Hinata about his obsession with the mystery guy to keep him from teasing him about the whole ordeal. There was no way he was going to live this one down.

“Tsukki, that’s a nice offer, but I can’t. Sorry.” Yamaguchi muttered, amused expression turning down toward the floor as he turned and grabbed Hinata by the arm. “C’mon, Hinata, let’s go.” He muttered as he left the café and headed toward the school, leaving Tsukishima alone and frozen in place. He wasn’t sure what shocked him more: the rejection or the fact that Yamaguchi had just called him Tsukki.  
What snapped him back to reality was the burst of sudden laughter from the front.

Tsukishima turned to find Ukai holding his sides and doubling over, face red from the laughing he was doing. His golden hair fell over his eyes as he bent over, almost nailing his forehead on the front counter. Turning an even darker shade of red, Tsukishima approached the front desk, fuming over what had just happened.

“It’s not funny.” Tsukishima grumbled, gritting his teeth so hard he was sure he would break his jaw. Ukai leaned forward on the counter, resting his elbows against the solid surface before wiping his eyes of the tears that had formed there.

“Tsukishima, you’re right.” Ukai said, taking a deep breath before straightening up. Then he cracked a massive grin. “It was hilarious!” The grown man then proceeded to die of laughter in a much louder manner then he had been previously. Sighing and crossing his arms, Tsukishima decided to just drop it. Even if Ukai kept quiet about this, there was no way Hinata was going to keep from teasing Tsukishima.

With the amount of good luck Tsukishima was having, he wasn’t surprised to see Bokuto and Kuroo walk in right at that moment, trailed slightly by Kageyama.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Bokuto called, throwing his arms out as if he was going to embrace either Tsukishima or Ukai. Kuroo saluted with two fingers and then creased his brow when he realized Ukai was still laughing.

“Yo, what’s so funny?” Kuroo asked, reaching the counter and becoming even more confused when he saw the look of murder in Tsukishima’s eyes. An amused look crossed his face as he waited for an answer.

“Nothing.” Tsukishima muttered, turning his head away from Kuroo’s prying eyes, Kageyama’s expression mimicking that of Tuskishima’s best friend. Bokuto looked a bit lost, but not terribly interested.

“Oh geez. Tsukishima just made an ass out of himself.” Ukai offered up, finally taking a deep breath and collecting himself completely. Kuroo’s eyes widened with pure surprise, Bokuto’s following suit. Kageyama hadn’t known them long enough to know just how closed in Tsukishima’s emotions were and how big of a surprise it was that Tsukishima had managed to embarrass himself.

“I said: nothing happened!” Tsukishima growled with a huff, shooting a glare in Ukai’s direction. The man waved him off as Kuroo and Bokuto attempted to ask what had happened.

“If I don’t tell ‘em, you know Hinata sure as hell will.” Ukai said and Tsukishima groaned, dropping his head against his chest. He knew Ukai was right, but it still ached knowing that he had just done that in front of the biggest blabber mouth of the group.

“I’ll tell them tomorrow. Just give me a few more hours of peace.” Tsukishima muttered to his chest, his hot breath bouncing off of himself and back to his already hot face. Ukai shrugged and let out one last laugh.

“Whatever you say. It’s your death bed.” With that, the older man disappeared into the back room, leaving the group in the near silence of the café. Tsukishima was glad it had been only Ukai and Hinata that had seen it. Although, he wasn’t sure if he would have rather Kuroo see it than Hinata, because the little fire ball sure knew how to spread a rumor.

“Tsukishima, what happened?” Kuroo asked, curiosity and amusement mixing in his tone to make for one not very subtle interrogation. Tsukishima sighed, disappointed that his next several hours of peace weren’t going to be perfectly peaceful. He still had hours of pestering from these two. Especially since tonight was movie night.

“Nothing. I’ll tell you when we wake up tomorrow.” Tsukishima promised, knowing that they weren’t going to head immediately toward Karasuno when they woke up. That would give him some time away from Hinata to tell the actual story, though he knew Hinata was still going to play with it when they finally saw him.

“Aww, c’mon, Tsukishima. Just tell us.” Kuroo whined as Tsukishima packed up his things. Sliding his laptop into its bag, Tsukishima ignored Kuroo as best he could. He knew this would be how it went the rest of the night, and it was. Kuroo and Bokuto continued to pester him all the way back to the apartment and throughout dinner. They pestered him when they popped in whatever musical Kuroo had chosen and they pestered him as he maneuvered the menu.

The only time they stopped pestering him was when the movie started and Kuroo began singing along. Eventually the conversation morphed into talking about Akaashi. Bokuto and Kuroo managed to put Tsukishima to sleep arguing over whether Akaashi was better or if it was some kid neither Bokuto nor Tsukishima had met.

His few hours of peace were to be spent sleeping before he would wake up and have to say something about what had happened during his first meeting with Yamaguchi. Tsukishima was about to become the temporary laughing stock of the Karasuno gang.


	2. Karaoke Knights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima tells Kuroo and Bokuto what happened and Hinata tries to tease him about it. When Kuroo asks Tsukishima to meet the guy he likes, a few new developments occur and before he knows it, they're on a group date for karaoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally glad to get to this. It took a while, so I apologize if it's a bit choppy. A lot happens in this chapter, but there are kind of three sections. Please enjoy!
> 
> **Edit: Thanks to my amazing new[beta](https://is-this-even-a-thing.tumblr.com/), this chapter has been edited!**

Tsukishima really did tell Kuroo and Bokuto everything the following morning. He didn’t even leave out the fact that he got up and shouted at Yamaguchi about wanting him as a model. Warping a story wasn’t really how Tsukishima did things, even though he knew Kuroo and Bokuto weren’t ever going to let him live it down. It was far worse just thinking about how Hinata was going to handle it, which was the main reason Tsukishima told Bokuto and Kuroo himself. If they heard it from Hinata, there would be all sorts of changes and alterations dropped in to make Tsukishima look worse. So Tsukishima told it exactly how it had happened, because he didn’t want them to think Hinata was right. Because when was Hinata ever right?

There was a solid ten minutes of roaring laughter in the middle of Kuroo and Tsukishima’s apartment after Tsukishima finally finished the story. Bokuto was the first to finally take a deep breath and sit up from his position on the floor. Kuroo continued to laugh for a few more minutes before finally uncurling himself and looking up at Tsukishima sideways.

“You really did that?” Kuroo asked, voice still shaking slightly from the laughter still bubbling beneath the surface. Tsukishima nodded and Kuroo let a few more giggles trickle from his lips as he pushed himself into a seated position. The black haired man brushed his fingers against the corners of his eyes, wiping away the tears that had formed from his uncontrollable laughter.

“Wait, wait, you said Hinata was there. Did he see all of this?” Bokuto asked, suddenly jumping back into the conversation, wide eyes landing on Tsukishima with amusement still playing in them. Tuskishima only sighed and nodded, leaving Bokuto to choke out some sound halfway between a laugh and a scoff. His expression was incredulous.

“You just damned yourself, my friend.” Bokuto informed him, though Tsukishima didn’t need to be told that. Rolling his head backward, Tsukishima stared at the blank white ceiling above him, desperately wanting to go back several hours and try again with Yamaguchi. Instead of yelling at him, maybe ask calmly if they could see each other again. What was it that brought Yamaguchi there only once a month? How did the beautiful man know Hinata? Why did the beautiful man know Hinata?

There was so much he wanted to ask Yamaguchi, but he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to be seen by the freckled man ever again. After what he had done, he wasn’t sure he wanted to even go to Karasuno ever again.

Yet, an hour later, there they were, walking into Karasuno. Kuroo and Bokuto were bright eyed and bushy tailed, despite it still being morning. For a Saturday, Karasuno was rather empty. Ukai stood at the counter, where he normally was, and another employee stocked the shelves full of goodies. Tsukishima’s normally indifferent demeanor was pushed aside by his desperate need to find Hinata. Was he even there that day?

“Hey! If it isn’t my favorite guys. Anything different for today’s orders?” Ukai asked, noticing the trio walk into his café, a grin on his face to acknowledge how he was excited to see them. Bokuto and Kuroo ordered their drinks, both creatures of adventure ordering different drinks. It was their habit, getting something different every day. Bokuto did have a preference for the drink of the month, though.

“Tsukishima!” There was a shout from directly in front of his face and Tsukishima jumped almost a foot in the air and found he was nose to nose with Kuroo, who didn’t really have to look up too far to do this. Expression turning from surprise to annoyance, Tsukishima glared right into Kuroo’s eyes.

“What?” He asked angrily, pissed that Kuroo had to yell at him. There was no reason to yell to get his attention, he wasn’t deaf.

“We shouted your name, like, three times. What are you getting?” Kuroo asked, moving out of the way and pushing him lightly toward Ukai, who gave Tsukishima a look that seemed to shift between concerned and amused. Great, even Ukai was still getting a kick out of the previous day.

Tsukishima was about to tell Ukai that he would just get what he normally does when Hinata appeared suddenly from the back room holding bags of beans. The small, orange fluff ball gasped when he saw Tsukishima and immediately broke into a broad grin.

“If it isn’t ‘Tsukki’. I thought you’d never come back.” Hinata cooed, giggling uncontrollably as he dumped the bag of beans somewhere behind the counter and leaned against the hard surface, eyebrows rising teasingly. There it was, the beginning of what was going to be endless torture.

“Wait, did Yamaguchi call you that?!” Kuroo asked, shock evident in his voice as he asked the question. Okay, so maybe Tsukishima left out a small detail. However, it was for a very good reason. Kuroo got a little defensive when that nickname came up.

“Yes.” Tsukishima responded, figuring there was no use to denying it. When it came to Kuroo, lying was almost impossible. The guy seemed to be a human lie detector, but was also denser than hell itself.

“You never let me call you that, why does this stranger get to call you that!?” This was why Tsukishima tried not to bring up the nickname around Kuroo. He was very salty over the whole thing.

When they had first met, Kuroo had insisted he call Tsukishima ‘Tsukki’, because it was easier than saying his full name every time. The nickname was almost too endearing and sugary; Tsukishima had refused him the entire year. When Bokuto had shown up in their lives the next year, Kuroo had brought it up again. Bokuto hadn’t cared a single wink about what he called Tsukishima. Actually, in the first year they knew each other, Bokuto seemed to have something against Tsukishima for a while, but the grumpy blonde grew on him.

Any time the nickname ‘Tsukki’ came up in casual conversation, Kuroo would go ballistic on anyone who said it. They had successfully managed to keep the nickname out of conversation for two years.  
Way to go, Hinata. 

“I didn’t tell him he could. He just said it as he was leaving.” Tsukishima growled, trying desperately not to turn around and sock Kuroo in the jaw, which he had done before; Countless times. Kuroo got on his nerves, but they were best friends. Tsukishima was never really sure how that worked out.

“And you didn’t tell him not to use it?” Kuroo asked, and Tsukishima could just sense the way he crossed his arms or placed his hands on his hips. His angry voice was very similar to Tsukishima’s own mother, his mannerisms identical. Kuroo was Tsukishima’s mom in every way when he got livid like this. Luckily, Kuroo very rarely got livid.

“No, Kuroo. He said it as he was leaving. I had just embarrassed myself in front of him. Of course I didn’t think to tell him not to.” Tsukishima hissed, not looking over his shoulder. There were snickers from somewhere behind him and Tsukishima imagined Bokuto behind Kuroo, laughing his head off because they had had this conversation so many times and Bokuto had eventually started to find it amusing.

There was silence from Kuroo and Tsukishima could tell he was pouting and acting like a child by the way Bokuto barked in laughter before his sounds became muffled behind his hands. Rolling his eyes at his friends, Tsukishima finally ordered his drink from Ukai, ignoring the wiggling eyebrows Hinata was giving him from his spot on the counter.

“So, you knew Yamaguchi the whole time?” Ukai asked, waving Hinata off to make the drinks while they all chatted. Hinata nodded enthusiastically, not seeming put off at all by Ukai’s offhanded way of ordering him around. It had become normal, the way Ukai told Hinata to get to work, and the two made smooth work of it.

“Yep! I’ve known Yamaguchi since elementary school. We’ve been best friends for a long time. Why did Tsukishima seem so interested in him?” Hinata asked, grabbing the cups and filling the orders. He had to read the written words on Bokuto’s and Kuroo’s to get the orders right, but Tsukishima’s was always the same and he prepared it without a second thought.

“I’m right here.” Tsukishima muttered as Hinata finished off Kuroo’s drink and placed it on the top of the goodies display case. It took Bokuto nudging Kuroo rather violently to get the other man’s attention. As Kuroo took his drink off the glass counter, he sipped it with a pout, not dropping his anger.

“Well, he saw Yamaguchi about a month ago and said he wanted him for his photo shoot.” Ukai responded, ignoring Tsukishima’s comment entirely. The blonde rolled his eyes as Bokuto’s drink was placed on the glass and Hinata’s bright eyes widened. He stopped in his preparing the drinks to turn to Tsukishima with these same wide eyes, which softened to what looked like an apologetic expression.

“Sorry, Tsukishima. Yamaguchi would never do that. They’re a little…sensitive, I guess you could say.” Hinata informed him, eyes turning down a bit to show he was genuinely sorry. Tsukishima felt his heart drop at this information. Yamaguchi was sensitive? Sensitive about what? He was beautiful. Beautiful enough to grab Tsukishima’s attention, and Tsukishima had a very picky eye.

“Yeah, well, I ruined any chances of convincing him anyway.” Tsukishima grumbled as Hinata turned to finish preparing his drink. After the way he had acted in front of Yamaguchi, he doubted there was even the slightest chance Yamaguchi would ever talk to him again. Just the idea of never seeing such a beautiful person ever again killed Tsukishima on the inside, but he was never going to show it. It would take ages, though, before he would live down this episode of his life.

“It’s alright, Tsukishima. Yamaguchi doesn’t normally judge people based on first impressions. They’re nicer than that.” Hinata said with a smile, handing Tsukishima his drink directly, grinning from ear to ear in an awfully endearing manner. Sometimes Tsukishima really couldn’t handle Hinata’s attitude. Nonetheless, it was moments like these, albeit rare, that Tsukishima appreciated knowing Hinata.

“Thanks.” Tsukishima mumbled, taking the drink as it was offered, brushing off the fact that he was thanking Hinata for his kind words. There was no way Hinata needed to know that. Thanking him for the drink made more sense. Tsukishima saying ‘thank you’ in general was an uncommon sight, but no one seemed to take notice as the group waved at Ukai and Hinata and went on their merry way.

That Saturday was spent doing nothing but homework and listening to Kuroo sing along to the Heathers soundtrack all day. Tsukishima was glad when Akaashi came over with Bokuto and they settled in for a movie night. It was always quieter when Akaashi was there. For whatever reason, the man could tame Bokuto and Kuroo by extension.

Sunday was spent sleeping in and coming out of his bedroom on occasion to eat food. Bokuto came over to join Kuroo in doing homework, which they barely managed to finish, and Tsukishima sat up watching a new dinosaur documentary on the Discovery channel while Kuroo went to bed early.

The week went on as usual, with Kuroo pestering Hinata about Yamaguchi when he had the chance. Kageyama pushed his new friend boundaries a little bit by asking Hinata about Yamaguchi as well. Bokuto enjoyed listening to Hinata tell the two about his childhood friend and then warping dumb stories about the information they received. Kageyama was actually more help than Kuroo, since he learned that Yamaguchi was an amazing artist, skilled with painting with his hands more than a brush.

“Hinata said that they’re good at drawing people, too. They have an amazing cartoon style, apparently, and Hinata says he enjoys asking them to draw him and his friends. Apparently it turns out amazing every time.” Kageyama told him on Friday, as Tsukishima sat with his laptop propped open on the table, eyes no longer grazing the screen.

Kageyama’s information was first-hand what Hinata had said, nothing warped or shifted to make Yamaguchi sound better. Sure, Hinata made Yamaguchi sound better just by praising his art, but Hinata was a good friend of Yamaguchi’s, so that was only natural.

“Really? I’ve never been able to draw anything.” Tuskishima muttered, looking down at the table and remembering when he had drawn Akiteru on a birthday card for his brother’s birthday. Akiteru had asked what it was. He had been ten.

“Apparently he tends to hole himself up in his room, though, avoiding people and only leaving to go to class and get groceries.” Kageyama added on, gathering more of Tsukishima’s attention as he said this. What? He never leaves his room? That just sounded dreadful.

Tsukishima was about to say this when the front door to Karasuno slammed open, getting a shout from Ukai, and the perpetrator approached their table, pointing a finger right into Tsukishima’s face.  
“You are coming with me to writer’s workshop!” Kuroo declared, ignoring Ukai’s not so kind words from behind him. Tsukishima wrinkled his nose as if in disgust, but those around him knew it was just his extremely annoyed face. Kageyama took this opportunity to slip out and head to the front, where he began talking to Hinata again as Kuroo took his spot.

“Why would I want to go to writer’s workshop? I’m not even a writer.” Tsukishima responded, disgust lacing through the annoyance in his voice. The first time he had gone to writer’s workshop with Kuroo, the room had consisted of them and three very antisocial nerds that Tsukishima couldn’t stand being around. If it was anything like it was then, he definitely did not want to go.

“Because, there haven’t been many people showing up. Also, I want you to meet someone.” Kuroo said, his voice dropping from demanding to a slightly less authoritative tone. Tsukishima rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Why can’t you just bring her by the apartment?” Tsukishima asked, and Kuroo scoffed at his rash assumptions, expression dropping from offended to pleading within seconds after. Tsukishima rarely saw Kuroo with this expression on his face, and it made him curious.

“I don’t want to startle him into thinking I want something serious. But I want to see what you think of him.” Kuroo muttered to the table, Tsukishima’s eyebrows rising as he spoke. Tsukishima knew Kuroo was bi, it had been well established since the moment they met. Ever since Tsukishima had met Kuroo, he had only ever had one guy and the rest was a countless number of girls. It was something special that Kuroo wanted Tsukishima to meet a guy.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll go to the stupid writer’s workshop.” Tsukishima growled and Kuroo launched into a full frontal attack, causing Tsukishima to shove and push, attempting to get him away from him. Tsukishima had never been the touchy feely type, and Kuroo was. It was a really difficult relationship to have.

\----

Writer’s workshop was a modge podge group of nerds that met once a week to compare works and receive feedback. Most of them wrote fantasy and created characters with unreasonable characteristics, even to Tsukishima’s untrained eye. They met in a room with three entrances, and the proper one was never easy to find. Once they did, they entered the cave of the nerds, and Tsukishima braced himself for the stupid talk they’d be having on whether or not faeries were better than nyads.

What he didn’t expect was what he got.

Walking into the room where he remembered the group met, Tsukishima was met with the emptiest club room he had ever seen. Sure, the last time he had been there, there had only been five of them, but this was silly.

Sitting near the front of the room, typing randomly at the computer sitting on the teacher’s lecture podium, was Kuroo. He looked bored out of his mind as his actions displayed on the large screen behind him. There was no one else in the room except the dark haired man, and Tsukishima was concerned that Kuroo had made up this guy just to get Tsukishima to come.

When Kuroo noticed the presence of his rather silent friend, his face lit up and he opened his arms as if going in for a hug. Knowing better, Kuroo did not hug Tsukishima, but rather patted him firmly on the shoulders.

“Tsukishima! I’m glad you came. I was getting kind of worried no one would show up.” Kuroo laughed awkwardly as Tsukishima dropped his bag to the floor. When Tsukishima looked around to the empty tables and chairs around him, he wondered if Kuroo even expected there be a crowd.

“There are a lot less people than I remember there being.” Tsukishima muttered sarcastically, earning a small slap from Kuroo. It didn’t hurt and it only left him rubbing the spot gently, as if he almost didn’t believe Kuroo had just hit him. Kuroo had gotten over smacking Tsukishima for his sarcastic comments years ago. It wasn’t new for him to do it on occasion, but it only ever happened when Kuroo was extremely nervous.

“Sorry, Tsukishima. You’re late and you’re the first one here besides me. I was just wondering if he was even going to show up.” Kuroo mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck before turning around and heading back toward the front to continue nervously typing what he had been working on before.

It wasn’t long after Kuroo did this that the door opened again and a bright orange head popped its way into the room.

“Is this the right room? Eh!? Kuroo? Tsukishima? I didn’t know you guys would be here.” Hinata shouted, pushing his whole self into the room and revealing that it was, indeed, their local coffee bean. What threw Tsukishima off was the fact that, in the two years he had known Hinata, he had never once seen the smaller man wearing casual clothing. So seeing him wearing a rather baggy sweatshirt and tight black skinny jeans was kind of weird.

“Hinata? I didn’t know you were coming.” Kuroo said, a small smile playing on his face. Tsukishima knew he had been asked to make the air more comfortable, but with Hinata here, there was a very slim chance anything would get awkward. The small ball of energy was the life of any party and very good at making conversation, or forcing it. Tsukishima knew that very well.

“Yeah. Kenma wanted me to sit in with him. I figured it would be worth it, since we need to work on story boarding for class.” Hinata said with a grin before turning his head suddenly to the door. As he mumbled words of encouragement to whoever was on the other side, Tsukishima noticed the slight whisper of red crossing Kuroo’s face at the name Kenma. Looks like mystery boy had shown up after all.

“Tsukishima, Kuroo, this is my friend: Kenma!” Hinata exclaimed, finally dragging the man into the room. He was barely taller than Hinata with hair down to his shoulders. It was an old dye job, the roots showing dark brown and the ends showing blonde. He had very thin eyes that reminded Tsukishima of a cat’s. He wore a sweater that was too large for him and fell off one shoulder to reveal the black tank top he had underneath. For pants he had on a tight fitting, light blue skinny jeans with some kind of flare at the ankles Tsukishima had never seen before.

He was graceful in a petite sort of way.

“I already know Kenma, Hinata. He’s in my creative writing class.” Kuroo offered, smiling broadly when Kenma looked up at the two of them. He immediately turned a light shade of pink and looked down at the phone in his hands, typing away at something with his thumbs. Nonchalantly, Hinata took the phone right out of Kenma’s hands without even looking, responding to Kuroo as Kenma reached feebly for the device.

“Really!? Is that why he wanted to come here? That’s pretty cool! C’mon, we should sit down so we can get started.” Hinata said, pulling Kenma lightly by the wrist toward the table where Tsukishima was sitting. Kuroo turned the projector off and saved his work before plopping down at the table with the rest of the group.

“So, you said you guys were coming because of class?” Kuroo asked, easily slipping into a conversation based on information from earlier. That was generally how Kuroo worked. If something came up that required even just the slightest bit of explanation, he would ask about it. Sometimes it started conversations, sometimes debates, and sometimes it just allowed Kuroo to know random facts that Tsukishima was pretty sure he didn’t need to know.

“Yep! Our animation class is working on story boarding for an animation that we’d like to make some time in the future. Kenma asked if I wanted to tag along to the writer’s workshop and I thought ‘what better way to come up with story ideas than with a bunch of other writers?’!” Hinata exclaimed, throwing his arms out dramatically.

Tsukishima was almost in awe, seeing Hinata outside of Karasuno. Sure, he was just as annoying as ever, if not more so. Just the idea of seeing him in normal clothes and talking about school was something Tsukishima had never considered he would do. Tsukishima knew Hinata was a student and working for Ukai was helping him pay for schooling and rent, but it had never crossed his mind to ask what Hinata was studying. Something about the fact that he was studying animation left Tsukishima in awe of him. Who knew Hinata Shouyou had the patience for animation?

“Um, speaking of; Why is it so empty in here?” Hinata asked, turning to look around the painfully empty room. Kuroo laughed nervously and shrugged, trying to come off as casual. Tsukishima knew Kuroo’s casual, this was a little too forced.

“Well, writer’s workshop hasn’t really been popular, so this is it. The last several meetings have been only me.” Kuroo responded, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he said this. Tsukishima joined Hinata and Kenma in giving Kuroo a surprised look. He had been the only one here? Why was he even still coming if he was the only one who ever showed up?

“Why do you still come?” The soft voice surprised Tsukishima, who whipped around to see that it had been Kenma to ask this question. He hadn’t heard Kenma speak the whole time, but here he was, asking Kuroo the very question that was on his mind.

“You never know when someone might want to show up and get feedback. It’s fine. I’m just glad you guys are here today.” Kuroo responded, his expression becoming slightly forced. Tsukishima would have a few more questions for Kuroo later, but for the moment, he decided to leave things as they were.

“Well, since we’re here, we might as well get something done!” Hinata offered, exclaiming louder than was truly necessary.

That was what ended up happening. For an hour the small group bounced ideas back and forth. Tsukishima remained mostly silent, enjoying hearing the writers come up with ideas and new stories. Kuroo had always been an amazing writer; his works could sustain Tsukishima if the world ever ended, so his ideas were amazing.

However, hearing the insights from Hinata and Kenma were amazing as well. It wasn’t a big surprise that Hinata had a wild imagination, thinking up crazy stories that could take up entire movies instead of just student thesis films. Kenma’s ideas were amazing as well, but much tamer compared to Hinata’s. They bounced off of each other for five minutes straight at one point, much to the awe of Kuroo and Tsukishima.

They demonstrated their expert skill at working together by coming up with a story, a main character, and the whole ending. They added in characters here and there and Kenma even decided that the world’s landscape was entirely in complementary colors. Green would be purple and blue would be orange or red.

When the hour was finally drawing near, Tsukishima had heard the three ramble off approximately five story ideas, complete to the end, gathering his advice as the outside observer. It had definitely been an experience.

“Well, we should technically finish, though this was far more engaging that I had anticipated.” Kuroo said when the hour had officially come to a close. Hinata snapped his head toward the clock as well, face morphing into a pout when he realized Kuroo was right. If they wanted to get anything else done, they would have to do it another time.

“I really want to spend more time with you guys. This whole thing was like…GWAHH!” Hinata said, his eloquent descriptive words informing the group as to why he was an animator, and not a writer. Despite being bothered by Hnata’s annoying personality, Tsukishima agreed with the small ball of energy. This had been far more entertaining than he had expected.

“You know what, why don’t we all go out for karaoke? I can ask Bokuto if he and Akaashi want to come along and you could ask Yamaguchi if he wants to tag along as well!” Kuroo suggested, excitement clearly taking him over the instant he had the idea. Hinata’s eyes lit up at the suggestion and Kenma’s turned slightly curious, but also remained sheltered. Tsukishima felt both excitement and fear course through his veins. Seeing Yamaguchi again sounded amazing, but what would happen if he made a fool out of himself again?

“Sounds great! How about later tonight? I think I can get everyone to agree to seven.” Hinata responded, eyes alight with more excitement than was physically possible for any single body to contain. Especially the pint sized one of Hinata.

“Awesome! There’s no way Bokuto can say no!” Kuroo said, grin on his face. Kuroo was right, Bokuto wasn’t going to say no and if Bokuto said yes then Akaashi would too. They were a package deal, most days, so it was hard to get them apart.

“Great! C’mon, Kenma. We have a lot of convincing to do!” Hinata exclaimed, grabbing Kenma by the wrist and dragging him from the room before he even had the chance to grab his bag. The small, cat-like man waved to Kuroo as they left before they disappeared from the room entirely.

There was a small moment of silence.

“Does Hinata know the people we like before we know them?” Kuroo asked absently when the silence had grown too much for him. Tsukishima couldn’t help but let out a small noise somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle. Hinata knew Yamaguchi and now Hinata knew Kenma.

“We’ll know if Hinata knows Kageyama’s crush, too.” Tsukishima muttered, grabbing his bag and rising to his feet. Kuroo grinned wider than he had been when he suggested the karaoke thing, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but shoot him an annoyed and confused look.

“What?” He asked as Kuroo took his bag and stood up as well. This look was the one Kuroo gave when he knew something Tsukishima didn’t know. Normally all it took to get the information out of him was to ask why he was smiling like that.

“So you admit you have a crush on Yamaguchi?” Kuroo asked, his big grin suddenly turning to a cocky smirk, making Tsukishima flap his mouth opened and closed as if attempting to protest. Kuroo patted his shoulder as he turned to leave.

“It’s okay, buddy. We all knew already.” Kuroo reassured him, cocky grin still not leaving his face as Tsukishima followed behind him, ready to protest. When they turned the corner out of the room, though, Tsukishima closed his mouth and dropped the argument. Kuroo was right; he had a big, fat crush on Yamaguchi.

\----

“Why did we have to invite Kageyama?” Tsukishima grumbled as the group walked down the sidewalk toward the karaoke place. It was seven o’clock at night and Kuroo had insisted they walk to get some fresh air, which had actually been a rather nice suggestion, since the cool air allowed Tsukishima to think straight with Yamaguchi walking only a few feet ahead of him.

“Poor Hinata would have been a seventh wheel if we hadn’t. Plus, they get along pretty well.” Kuroo responded, hands in his pockets, a cool air about him. Kenma was walking alongside Yamaguchi ahead of Kuroo. The two were having a rather quiet conversation and appeared to be enjoying the walk. Ahead of them were Kageyama and Hinata, who had just broken into a full on sprint and were yelling loudly at each other about something Tsukishima couldn’t quite make out.

“Yep, they get along great.” Tsukishima muttered sarcastically, trying hard not to laugh at the incredulous look on Kuroo’s face as Hinata and Kageyama disappeared around the next corner toward the karaoke place. “At least Kageyama will keep Hinata off our backs all night.” Tsukishima sighed, thankful the little fluff ball had a distraction that wasn’t him.

“I’m sure they’ll get along fine. They just have to spend more time together.” Kuroo assured him and this time, Tsukishima couldn’t help but let out a scoff that was mostly laugh. Kageyama and Hinata couldn’t go five seconds without getting into an argument. Sure, Kageyama had gotten most of the information about Yamaguchi out of Hinata without yelling at Hinata, but that was because Hinata had been busy talking about his friend. There was nothing to argue about there.

“C’mon, Kuroo. Don’t kid yourself. They’re two idiots who find the need to have competition in everything. They’ll never get along.” Tsukishima laughed rolling his eyes as everyone else turned the corner to find a panting Kageyama and Hinata standing thirty feet away, panting at the entrance to the karaoke place.

“Will you guys have enough breath to sing?” Tsukishima is surprised to hear the exact words he was going to say coming from the beautiful being walking ahead of him. He can almost imagine the exact expression he wore now on Yamaguchi’s face, something akin to amusement with a cocky smirk on his face. Tsukishima so badly wanted to see this look on Yamaguchi’s beautiful face.

“Of…course….we…will.” Hinata panted between breaths and Tsukishima watched as Kenma let out a small chuckle, followed by Yamaguchi who lifted a hand to cover his mouth as he did it. Tsukishima felt himself dying inside. Why did he have to be walking behind Yamaguchi?

Tsukishima knew this was going to be a great night.

It ended up going smoother than Tsukishima had expected. The group got a room and packed themselves into it. Kuroo and Bokuto took first dibs on the mics and sang their hearts out to some pop tune Tsukishima didn’t recognize. They were both decent, but constantly got certain notes wrong despite this fact.

The mics passed to Hinata and Kageyama, who screamed their hearts out. They seemed to be having a competition over who could be louder, which didn’t surprise Tsukishima. What surprised Tsukishima was how absolutely terrible Hinata was and how absolutely amazing Kageyama was. Even at the volume they were singing at, Kageyama’s voice rang clear and true and easily outdid Hinata’s in volume.  
When the song was over, Kageyama caught Tsukishima giving him a weird look that asked what the heck had just happened. He shrugged, looking toward the ground sheepishly as he took his seat.

“I was in musical theatre most of high school.” Kageyama muttered when he sat down next to Tsukishima. Surprise further crossed Tsukishima’s face, but Kageyama was already busy handing the mic off to Kenma, who had dragged Yamaguchi to the front of the room with him. Tsukishima was too distracted by the way Yamaguchi moved to ask Kageyama any more questions.

The song the two chose was familiar to Tsukishima, but he had so much trouble recalling it or remembering what they had said because he was distracted by the way Yamaguchi sang.

He was terrible, that was for sure. He was horribly off tune the entire time to the point that he was almost harmonizing with Kenma, who was so beautifully on key that Tsukishima could have been put to sleep if Kenma sang him a lullaby, which was to say his voice was really soft. That meant that it was actually a little difficult to hear him over Yamaguchi, but what Yamaguchi lacked in pitch, he more than made up for in showmanship.

If Yamaguchi was attempting to seduce Tsukishima with this song, it was working, because the photography major was hypnotized by his hips, his eyes, his lips. Oh, his lips. Tsukishima’s eyes locked with Yamaguchi’s near the end of the song and the art major seemed to falter slightly in the words, turning abruptly back to the screen to find his place. His beautiful lips turned from a smile to a frown and his eyebrows knit close in concentration or disappointment. Tsukishima couldn’t tell, but the expression was still beautiful.

When the song finally ended, Yamaguchi handed the microphone off to the first person he could give it to before sitting down and avoiding any eye contact. Kenma handed the mic to Kuroo before scooting in next to Yamaguchi and whispering quietly to him, attempting to sooth whatever emotion he was feeling.

Suddenly, the mic was shoved into Tsukishima’s face and he had to stop staring at Yamaguchi to figure out who the heck was holding it.

“C’mon, Tsukishima! We haven’t heard you yet.” Hinata exclaimed, willingly handing over his chance to try owning Kageyama again. Tsukishima sneered at the mic as if it was the objects fault for being in his face. He pushed it away from himself and back toward Hinata while shaking his head.

“No. I don’t sing.” Tsukishima refused adamantly. Hinata looked rather disappointed and attempted to shove the mic back in his face, but Tsukishima continued to refuse until Bokuto took the mic and he and Kuroo started the loop over again.

As they listened to the two sing a rather loud rendition of ‘Let it Go’, Akaashi scooted closer to Tsukishima, conversation evident in his eyes.

“I think you might have scared Yamaguchi.” Akaashi whispered, Tsukishima’s attention drawn back to the beautiful young man, who now sat with his knees pulled to his chest, cheek resting on his knees as he watched Kuroo and Bokuto indifferently. Kenma had an arm around his shoulders as best he could and watched as well, but the way Yamaguchi sat was strained and clearly forced. He was attempting to look normal.

“How?” Tsukishima asked, worried that he might have ruined any chance he had with Yamaguchi again. The man was beautiful; he didn’t want to lose him just because he was reading the situation wrong. This was why he couldn’t be in a relationship. Kuroo always said he was too cold, which was apparently true, but there was no way someone so beautiful could love him.

“You were staring rather hard, Tsukishima. Everyone could tell. He might be insecure about something and just not like eyes on him, especially with the way you were looking at him.” Akaashi responded, and Tsukishima looked down at the older man. The way he was looking at him?

“How was I looking at him?” Tsukishima was almost afraid to know, his question hesitant and slow to form. Akaashi made an apologetic face before responding.

“You kind of looked hungry.” Akaashi informed him and Tsukishima felt his face turn red. Hungry!? He had stared at the most beautiful person he knew with the look of a wild animal ready to eat, a predator on the prowl. Oh geez, he was definitely not going to get onto Yamaguchi’s good side any time soon.

“Akaashi, just kill me now.” Tsukishima groaned quietly, dropping his head into his hands as he felt his face continue to turn red. He felt Akaashi place a hand on his back and rub, comforting him a bit. He knew Akaashi wouldn’t kill him; he was both too nice and too cruel for that.

Eventually, Tsukishima had the courage to look up and finish the night the way it had started: normal. Hinata and Kageyama were the last to go before they were informed that their time was up. Bokuto and Kuroo ranted and raved about how good they were the whole night, Akaashi telling Bokuto he had a wonderful singing voice. Kuroo dragged Kenma into it all, asking Kenma if he was a good singer. Amused, Tsukishima watched Kenma flounder for the right words before Akaashi complimented Kenma’s singing, officially shutting down the small man’s ability to function properly. Kuroo joined in on the compliment fest, asking how Kenma had learned to sing so well.

Kageyama and Hinata lead the group at a rather vigorous fast pace that no one else was enterrtaining. They argued over who had been better, but Tsukishima couldn’t hear them from the distance they were at. Although, he did hear his name at one point from Kageyama and Hinata slapped a hand over his heart as if offended.

At the back of the group, Tsukishima enjoyed the view of his friends, old and new, getting along so well. Who knew this semester would introduce so many new faces. Despite his deep annoyance with several of these faces, Tsukishima enjoyed spending time with his friends, and found himself once again asking why they chose to hang out with him.

“Why didn’t you sing tonight?” Tsukishima was jolted from his stupor of thought as Yamaguchi asked him a question out of nowhere. It had been a week since he had actually heard Yamaguchi speak, but his speaking voice was just as beautiful as he remembered. If he was insecure and Tsukishima’s staring had scared him, he certainly showed no signs of it.

“Oh, um, I don’t sing.” Tsukishima responded, avoiding looking down at Yamaguchi, afraid he would frighten the smaller man just be looking. Yamaguchi’s expression turned curious and he skipped slightly ahead to walk backward in front of Tsukishima. The taller man’s eyes widened as he watched the smaller walk backward without a hitch. A corner would throw him off, but he was skilled at this.

“Are you that bad?” Yamaguchi asked, eyebrow rising in question, hips swinging just slightly wider, as if he was trying to gather Tsukishima’s attention with them. It worked, because Tsukishima found himself momentarily fixated on Yamaguchi’s hips before his eyes snapped back to his face where he ate up the bright amber eyes and dark chocolate freckles.

“Uh, well, no, I don’t think so. I’ve never really done it before, so I don’t know.” Tsukishima responded, feeling himself get flustered at the way Yamaguchi was looking at him. It was both innocent curiosity mixed with the flirtatious nature of a seductress. His beauty would never grow old.

“Oh? Then why not try it now? Just a chorus. Nothing big.” Yamaguchi suggested, glancing over his shoulder real quick and grabbing Tsukishima’s attention. They were approaching a corner, which didn’t surprise Tsukishima, but he was shocked to find that the entire group had completely disappeared, likely around said corner.

“I don’t know. I-It’s not that important.” Tsukishima stuttered, shocked when Yamaguchi stopped moving and he nearly ran into him from the front. When he stepped back, the look on Yamaguchi’s face asked him if it really wasn’t important.

“It’s not like anyone else will hear.” Yamaguchi offered, innocence coming out just a little more. This man could control the aura that came off of him. Tsukishima loved it.

“Alright, fine. Uh, okay….” Tsukishima wracked his brain for something he knew well and the piano version to one of his favorite songs came to mind.

I could never be  
What you want me to  
You pulled me under  
To save yourself  
You will never see  
What's inside of me  
I pulled you under just to save myself

The air seemed to freeze around them as Tsukishima went silent, realizing just how bad he really was at this. Slowly, he opened his eyes, realizing he had shut them sometime in the middle of the song. He opened his mouth, prepared to apologize for how bad he was when he caught the wide-eyed stare of Yamaguchi, a grin accompanying the look.

“I love that song! You know Five Finger Death Punch!? Oh my gosh, no one I know listens to them!” Yamaguchi went into full fan girl mode at the song, breaking out of his frozen trance to grab Tsukishima by the shoulders and shake him with pure glee. Tsukishima felt himself freeze up over the feeling of physical contact and Yamaguchi seemed to sense the tension he had caused.

“Oh, uh, sorry. I just got really excited.” He muttered, turning around to continue on the walk back. Tsukishima had to skip a step to catch up with him, evening out their pacing so they walked side by side.

“It’s okay. I’m just not really good with physical contact.” Tsukishima responded and Yamaguchi looked up, a small smile on his face. For a moment, they were silent as they turned the corner to find their friends far enough ahead of them that there was no way they would catch up before they reached the apartments.

“I’m, uh, sorry for the way I shouted at you when we first talked. And for staring at you earlier tonight. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Tsukishima muttered after the pause in conversation seemed to go silent for too long. Yamaguchi tensed beside him, clearly taking a slight step away, though his body language suggested he was trying to be subtle.

“No, no, it’s okay. I was just surprised, is all.” Yamaguchi muttered, eyes directed toward the ground, avoiding looking at Tsukishima. Tsukishima nodded and let out a sigh.

“I’m being honest, though. I really want you for my model.” Tsukishima blurted, trying his best to tame the sudden outburst. This time it came off more normal, but it was obvious he hadn’t intended to say this. Yamaguchi flinched slightly at the words and looked up at Tsukishima, apologetic look in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Tsukki. I really, really can’t.” With these words, Yamaguchi broke into a light jog to catch up with the group ahead of them. Once again, Tsukishima had been rejected by the most beautiful man on Earth and called ‘Tsukki’ in the same sentence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to check out the amazing [art](http://melonorcaart.tumblr.com/post/157702193474/some-more-art-student-yamaguchi-tadashi-au-i-can) [melonorca](http://melonorcaart.tumblr.com/) has for this AU!


	3. Library Listlessness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks have passed since the karaoke night. Yamaguchi runs into Tsukishima in the library and is invited along to Karasuno, which has become a frequent occurrence. This time, however, he has a few more friends with him than just Hinata and Kenma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is from Yamaguchi's point of view which means I use the right pronouns. I apologize if I missed any because I forgot about it until I was three pages in and had to go back and fix it. I tried my best to find any and all mistakes, so I hope I didn't miss any. Also, every single character in the fic shows up in this chapter, so I apologize if it gets busy and confusing. This is a really messy chapter, so I apologize ^^'
> 
> **Edit: Thanks to my amazing new[beta](https://is-this-even-a-thing.tumblr.com/), this chapter has been edited!**

The classroom was quiet, soft music playing in the background as the students sat about the room. Some students had sketch books out and were drawing their hearts out onto the pages, while other had propped up canvases and were painting with differing media types. There was minimal chatter among the students as they worked, never quite breaking the silence, but rather keeping it peaceful.

“Hmm, it doesn’t look right.” Was the first sentence loud enough to actually break the silence. No one else looked up save the two people standing on either side of the speaker. It was a usual occurrence for the silver haired man to speak in this manner, and it never really interrupted anyone except his companions.

The one to the man’s left was none other than Yamaguchi Tadashi, a third year at the college and underclassman to the man on their right. They were about to say something when they thought back to the last time someone had told Sugawara Koushi that it looked fine. The man had ended up being chewed out for telling Suga that it didn’t need to be altered.

It had been kind of scary.

Then the two went on a date.

Daichi and Suga were still dating to this day, but both Daichi and Yamaguchi knew better than to tell Suga his painting looked fine when Suga insisted it didn’t. So Yamaguchi shut their mouth and looked over the forest scene. The trees were beautifully done, intricate with nice flourishes of lighter colors here and there, making them magical. The forest floor was spotted with bushes sporting various flower types that Yamaguchi didn’t recognize off the bat. They liked to consider themselves as sort of an expert on flowers, so they knew those were not real flowers.

“What are you going for, Suga?” This voice was the one to Suga’s right and came from a man several inches shorter than the silver haired man. He wore large, thick-framed glasses that took up most of his face and his hair was styled in a…well, it wasn’t really styled. Strands of hair stuck out left and right, giving off the appearance of a brown sunburst.

“Something fantastical. Like, a fairy forest.” Suga explained, gesturing wildly to what looked like a small bird house hanging from one of the limbs of a tree. When Yamaguchi looked closer, they realized there were more of those speckled throughout the piece. It was hard to see them, but once they found them, they felt the ‘fantastical’ Suga was going for and understood the flowers.

“Hmm, that’s a hard one.” The man softly tapped on his chin, looking over Suga’s picture with much more intensity than most people were used to. Being the professor often did this to a person, as Takeda looked it over with a much more critical eye than Yamaguchi could muster.

“Maybe add in some fairies? Little speckles of color and then dilute some yellow to make them glow.” Takeda offered, pointing toward the small houses and even the flowers, making note of good places to put said fairies. Suga nodded in understanding, eyes lighting up a bit as he thought about this.

“Yes, that would work. Thanks, professor.” Suga said, instantly beginning by dipping his brush in one particularly bright color before mixing it in a bit with a grey to tone it down to the mood of the picture.

“I think adding a deer could look nice, too.” Yamaguchi muttered after Suga carefully spotted in a couple of fun colors to represent small fairies. Giving Suga advice had become natural to the brunette, and they weren’t at all startled or embarrassed when they realized these words had just slipped out of their mouth without permission.

“You’re right, Yamaguchi! A deer would add a nice effect; Maybe with a few more fairies surrounding it specifically.” Suga narrated as he dotted in a few more fairies, changed the color, and continued to add in fairies. Yamaguchi smiled, glad to be of assistance, before turning back to their own painting. It was far from finished, mainly base colors and some vague outlines of what they wanted. However, they weren’t quite sure what they wanted just yet.

The gentle drone of the music on the background took over the group again as Suga quieted about his painting and the three resumed working. Yamaguchi slapped on colors here and there, not entirely sure where they were going. The bright blues turned dark and faded, blending together to create a sort of gradient like the night sky.

Without thinking, Yamaguchi just began to add in some clouds, a little bit of the Milky Way hiding behind them, and some mountains near the bottom. A beautiful lake sat before the mountains, reflecting them and the sky. As they absently worked, they painted in a large moon, bigger than was normal in the night sky, and began to flick in stars, including a few shooting stars as they went.

“Alright, class. Time is up. I’d offer to let you stay longer, but someone needs this room in a few minutes.” Takeda’s voice startled Yamaguchi out of their painting stupor and they were suddenly faced with what they had created. It was interesting, that was for sure, but Yamaguchi wasn’t sure if they liked it, or why they had even painted it.

“Wow, Yamaguchi. That’s really pretty. Does it represent something? The moon is bigger than usual.” Suga commented, washing off his brush in the cup of water he had set aside for himself. The silver haired man had surprisingly clean hands, a trait Suga had somehow managed to adapt in all of his years of painting. Yamaguchi, on the other hand, was a paint speckled mess.

“Um, I don’t think so? I mean, the moon reminds me of someone, somehow.” Yamaguchi muttered, the bright yellow-ish white of the moon making them recall a certain blonde. The bright colors reflected the yellow of Tsukishima’s hair and the pale color of his skin. Somehow they had managed to paint the man into the image.

“Really? Who?” Suga asked as Yamaguchi finally snapped into cleaning mode, wiping off the wet paint he still had on his hands. It was a really good thing they had a painting smock, or else their favorite shirt would have been ruined.

“This guy I met a couple of weeks ago.” Yamaguchi muttered, trying his very hardest to avoid Suga’s gaze as they said this. Suga was on top of Yamaguchi any time they brought up a new person, whether they were male or female. Suga had been more than willing to meet Yachi, Yamaguchi’s best friend, and was even extremely fond of Hinata and Kenma. The biggest difference between those three was that Suga knew they were all friends when Yamaguchi first brought them up.

“Really? What’s his name?” The tone in his voice suggested exactly what Yamaguchi expected: Suga was reading this as potential boyfriend. Yamaguchi knew they shouldn’t have brought up Tsukishima as ‘this guy’ because their nonchalance was nonexistent and they were extremely easy to read, as opposed to Tsukishima, whose face was harder to read than a book with blank pages.

“Tsukishima. Suga, don’t get any ideas. He wants me to model for this photo shoot for his photography final and you know how I feel about that.” Yamaguchi muttered, picking their canvas off the easel and slipping it onto a drying rack above Suga’s. Sugawara sighed, nodding his head before his eyes flashed mischievously.

“That doesn’t mean nothing else can happen between you two.” Suga cooed and Yamaguchi couldn’t resist the groan that escaped their throat. This caused not only Suga to laugh, but Takeda as well. Apparently their professor had been listening in on the conversation.

“Yeah, Yamaguchi. You have to just let things happen. Maybe he’s better than you think.” Takeda offered, sliding his own painting onto the racks as Suga and Yamaguchi collapsed their easels and stacked them in the corner of the room. Great, now they had more than just Hinata on their back about Tsukishima. Granted, Hinata’s deal was more about how Yamaguchi deserved happiness, but Tsukishima wasn’t happiness. Apparently he was dread and doom.

“Can both of you knock it off? Tsukishima’s just a friend. I think. We’ve known each other long enough; I suppose that’s what it is.” Yamaguchi responded, sticking their nose in the air as they removed their smock to hang it up with the rest of the smocks. Immediately there was a clear line where Yamaguchi had rolled the sleeves up. Paint caked their fingers and covered their arms, showing the world what they had been doing recently. Yamaguchi didn’t mind, they liked the paint. It was like an identity. Plus, it was kind of hard to get off when it was dried like this.

“Right, whatever. Hey, Takeda, do you want to come out with us? Daichi and I were going to get some coffee and maybe some sweets right now.” Suga responded, changing the subject and turning to Takeda as he spoke. Yamaguchi was an automatic ‘yes’, Suga knew they tagged along with them all the time. It wasn’t very common to invite Takeda, though.

“Really?” Takeda’s eyes lit up as he said this, clearly quite shocked to be invited along with his students. Takeda wasn’t much older than either of them, having graduated only a couple of years ago, he was in his late twenties as compared to Yamaguchi and Suga’s mid-twenties. Still, he acted as if he was younger than both of them, always acting more excited than either of them when new supplies came in. Art was truly his life.

“Of course. You don’t have another class, do you?” Suga asked, voice changing from reassuring to cautious. Years previous had turned up this very result, and Takeda had never been able to go out with them. Even if Takeda was a professor, Suga still liked treating him like a friend, and that was what they had become.

“No, I don’t! This is exciting! Let me grab my bag.” Takeda said, dashing off toward the desk at the front of the room. If it wasn’t for the use of it by other teachers, the silly thing might have collected layers of dust. Takeda dropped behind the desk to grab a backpack of small proportions, slinging it over his shoulders as if in elementary school. Yamaguchi and Suga were at the door when he arrived, grinning like a school boy.

“Daichi and I were going to meet up at the library, so we’re going to head there first.” Suga explained as the three exited the room and headed down the hallway toward the buildings exit. 

Many students had voiced their concern over Takeda’s being friends with Suga and Yamaguchi, that it took him away from them when they needed him. Most of the time, when students voiced this concern, Takeda would insist that his friend ship with the two students had nothing to do with his teaching ability and that they could ask him anything at any time. Some students challenged this, and even interrupted Takeda’s personal conversations with Suga and Yamaguchi on occasion.

True to his word, and not the least bit irritated, Takeda would respond and go help them before resuming his conversation with the two. As a professor, his top priority was teaching, which meant that he was more than welcome to dropping personal conversations for the sake of helping a student. Suga had initially found it annoying, but after Takeda’s polite and rather reasonable explanation, he had dropped it, getting used to the challenging interruptions in their conversations.

Still, Takeda was one of their best friends, having known Suga for four years and Yamaguchi for three. It had struck Yamaguchi odd at first, but after having known Takeda for several months into their freshman year, they had grown to think of Takeda as more of a friend. Plus, he looked more like a student. Especially since he was shorter then both Suga and Yamaguchi.

The trek to the library took ten minutes and before they even realized it, the three of them were among the quiet shelves of books, the sounds of clicking computers sounding around them as they wandered the library looking for Daichi.

As they passed a couple of bookshelves, a familiar head of orange hair turned in their direction and nearly shouted their names when a familiar head of blonde and brunette hair stopped him. Instead, Hinata and Kenma walked toward the three calmly, having already gathered their attention.

“Hey, guys.” Hinata grined, excited to see his friends. It wasn’t like Yamaguchi hung out with them all the time, but it was uncommon for Yamaguchi to be with Suga and Takeda when they did. More often than not, they could go months before Hinata would see Takeda or Suga again. So he was more than enthusiastic to see Yamaguchi with the two older men.

“Hey, Hinata. What are you two up to?” Suga asked, stopping where he was, halting their search for Daichi temporarily. Due to the rarity of seeing Suga, Yamaguchi thought back to all the times Suga was around when Hinata was and realized that Hinata had never met Daichi. It almost amused Yamaguchi to think of Daichi getting along with Hinata and he had to stifle a laugh behind his hand to prevent coming off as weird.

“We just needed to check out some books for class. Yamaguchi, have you gotten the ones for history?” Hinata asked, turning from Suga to Yamaguchi, whose hidden laugh quickly turned into a look of shock.

“Crap, no.” Yamaguchi groaned, remembering the books they needed for history. Sure, there was a textbook, there was always a textbook. But they were doing papers on smaller events within the period they were currently learning in class. They were going to have time to write and ask questions in class, which was rare, so grabbing books and having questions prepared was a good idea. For the first time since Yamaguchi had met Hinata, the small ball of energy was thinking ahead.

“Well, you’re here now. Why don’t you go get yours?” Hinata suggested, gesturing around the library as he mentioned it. Yamaguchi smiled, glad they had run into Hinata when they did. If it wasn’t for his smaller friend, they would have never gotten the books on time.

“Thanks for the reminder, Hinata. Suga, you don’t mind waiting, do you? I’ll only be a second.” Yamaguchi responded, turning to Suga halfway through their statement to get approval. The silver haired man waved his hand and smiled.

“It’s not a problem at all. Takeda and I will go find Daichi. When we find him, we’ll text you where we are and you can just meet us there when you’re done.” Suga responded, his gentle air and forgiving nature feeling comfortable to Yamaguchi. Sure, this was nothing compared to other things Takeda or Yamaguchi had asked of Suga.

“Awesome, thank you.” Yamaguchi grinned, waving to Suga and the gang as they turned to leave. Luckily, they knew exactly which book they would need, so they made a quick beeline toward the shelves holding said books. It was rather empty down this isle but Yamaguchi paid little mind to the people around. They were intent on finding the book they were looking for, which was exactly where they expected it to be.

Grinning, they slid it off the shelf quickly and booked it at a quick walk down the other end of the isle, turning the corner but running promptly into someone who had been heading in the other direction. Grunting at the impact, Yamaguchi took a step back, prepared to apologize quickly when they looked up and made eye contact with Tsukishima.

“Tsukki! Sorry about that. I didn’t see you there.” Yamaguchi apologized, rubbing the back of their neck beneath the hair that was there. For a moment there was no response from Tsukishima, the man just stood and stared down at Yamaguchi. It was a look Yamaguchi had become accustomed to from Tsukishima.

They were not excited to be subject to this stare once again.

“Oh, uh, no. It’s…it’s fine. I wasn’t watching where I was going either.” Tsukishima finally snapped back to reality when he realized he was staring. Yamaguchi felt their nerves beginning to fray, glad that Tsukishima had stopped staring, allowing these frayed ends to heal. They were glad when he looked away, face turning a light shade of pink. In a way, Tsukishima was endearing and kind of cute, but the way he looked at Yamaguchi wasn’t comfortable for the smaller of the two.

“Okay, well, I have to go. I have some friends waiting for me.” Yamaguchi finally said, pointing toward the front desk where they needed to go to check out the book. They dodged around Tsukishima and headed toward the desk but were stopped before they made it very far. Turning back they found Tsukishima’s hand around their upper arm, holding firmly but not painfully.

“Um, do you want to go to Karasuno? You could bring your friends, if they want to come.” Tsukishima muttered, not looking at Yamaguchi as he said it. After meeting Tsukishima and learning that Hinata worked there, Yamaguchi had actually frequented the coffee shop more and more often. It was a nice place full of nice people. This meant that they had spent more time with Tsukishima since the karaoke night, and the tall man had continued to insist on Yamaguchi being his model.

“Yeah. I can ask. Suga, Daichi, and Takeda haven’t been, so it could be nice.” Yamaguchi responded, adding a small smile to their features in hopes that Tsukishima would stop looking so nervous. Whether it was the response or the smile, Yamaguchi had no idea, but Tsukishima looked up with a soft smile of his own, something hardly ever seen on his face; especially not around his own friends. This made Yamaguchi’s smile grow in size as Tsukishima let go of their arm.

“I need to check out this book first and then we can go find them.” Yamaguchi informed him, getting a nod right as their phone vibrated in their pocket. Slipping it out, they headed toward the front desk, Tsukishima falling in step with them. There was a text from Suga, telling Yamaguchi where in the library they were. Good timing, they thought as they responded with a simple ‘okay, on my way’ before sliding their phone back into their pocket.

Checking out the book took no time at all and soon enough, Yamaguchi was headed toward the glass walls of the common area, most of the buzz muffled by the thick glass. It was where many groups met for projects or tutors met with their students. It was fairly busy when Yamaguchi and Tsukishima reached it, so they were glad to find Suga and the gang hanging out just outside.

“Yamaguchi, there you are.” Suga grinned when he saw his friend and then froze, grinning bigger when he saw Tsukishima. “Who’s this?” He asked, but Yamaguchi wasn’t the one to answer because Hinata turned around right as he asked the question.

“Tsukishima! You’re here too? Wow, now all we need to do is run into Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi, and I think we’re all set.” Hinata joked, laughing lightly and completely missing the look Suga gave Yamaguchi, who avoided said look.

“You’re forgetting Kageyama, Hinata.” Yamaguchi chuckled, recalling the rather stoic man after Hinata had finished his spiel. The whole thing between Hinata and Kageyama had grown quite interesting over the last several weeks. It was very obvious they didn’t get along but there were moments where they would connect over something and then their usual arguments would turn into rather loud rants full of words Yamaguchi was pretty sure weren’t actually words.

Kenma and Hinata, who knew Tsukishima, didn’t seem fazed at all that he had shown up. Daichi, on the other hand, stretched out a hand to offer a shake and introduced himself. Takeda merely nodded when Suga introduced him, his face looking upward at Tsukishima from his lowly spot below the tall student.

“You’re a professor?” Tsukishima asked after Suga had introduced him and Takeda had to force himself from the shock of being so close to someone so tall to answer.

“Yes! I’m a temporary art professor.” Takeda responded and both Suga and Yamaguchi scoffed when Takeda used the word ‘temporary’ to describe his position. At the time of his being hired he had been called a temp professor. However, it had been four years since he had started the job and both Suga and Yamaguchi were pretty sure he was permanent, but that he just hadn’t been told so.

“So you teach Yamaguchi?” Tsukishima asked, sounding almost as if he was in awe of this fact. Yamaguchi had never once showed Tsukishima their art; it wasn’t something they were comfortable sharing just willy-nilly. Yet, the tone in Tsukishima’s voice made it sound as if anyone who taught Yamaguchi must be an amazing artist as well. It made Yamaguchi turn a light shade of pink and look away as the conversation continued for about three more sentences and then died.

“Shall we go, then?” Suga offered, destination already in mind. Yamaguchi snapped to attention at this point, remembering Tsukishima’s invitation to the group to go to Karasuno.

“Wait, Suga, why don’t we stop by Karasuno Coffee instead? Hinata works there and Tsukishima frequents it.” Yamaguchi offered, stopping their friend in his tracks. Suga was similar to Yamaguchi, and didn’t have a coffee shop he frequented. Daichi had one once, but had stopped when he began dating Suga. They always had coffee together. They were like an old married couple, which was sweet, but also sickening.

“Karasuno, huh? Was this Tsukishima’s idea?” Suga asked, eyeing the taller student with a sly look, making both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi blush. Silently Yamaguchi nodded, figuring it was probably already obvious enough that Tsukishima had offered it. Yamaguchi would have suggested it themselves if it had crossed their mind.

“Alright, then Karasuno it is. Lead the way!” Suga exclaimed as loudly asit was allowed in the library, gesturing for Yamaguchi to lead. Before Yamaguchi was able to step forward in order to take said lead, Hinata pushed passed everyone with Kenma in tow, taking the lead instead. Yamaguchi rolled their eyes at their small friend, Tsukishima’s expression echoing it.

Suga and Takeda exchanged looks at this and held back wicked grins before heading toward Karasuno behind the four younger students. Daichi laced his fingers through Suga’s as they walked and they began a quiet conversation about their days as they were lead to the coffee shop.

It wasn’t twenty minutes later that Hinata was flinging his arms out in a dramatic show of enthusiasm and shouting: “We’re here!”

Suga, Daichi, and Takeda all gawked at the small coffee shop. It was so close to campus, how had they not been here before? Hinata began to ramble about how amazing the place was, but it was very clear that no one was listening as they approached the front doors and entered to find the place rather empty save the usual groupies.

Meaning Bokuto, Akaashi, Kuroo, and Kageyama were all gathered at a small table to the right of the entrance.

“The whole gang is here!” Hinata exclaimed upon seeing them, and Yamaguchi could tell Tsukishima had immediately dropped from generally annoyed with the ginger to purely irritated by him. The brunette had to hold back all their will power to fight laughing about the whole thing but gathered Tsukishima’s attention when a small snort escaped their nose.

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima muttered, face turning a light shade of red when Kuroo and Bokuto both enthusiastically greeted Hinata back, Akaashi giving a small wave from behind them, Kageyama ignoring Hinata completely in favor of his laptop screen.

“Sorry, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi muttered back as Kuroo advanced on Tsukishima, grinning widely when he saw Yamaguchi beside him.

“Tsukishima! Long time no see! And if it isn’t Yamaguchi. How ya doing, kid?” Kuroo asked, wrapping an arm around Yamaguchi’s shoulders as if they were best friends. Despite having known Kuroo for over a month now, Yamaguchi was still not used to the overly touchy-feely manner in which Kuroo greeted everyone. They tucked themselves into a smaller form and slipped out from under Kuroo’s arm as Tsukishima responded to his friend.

“Kuroo, we live together. You see me every day. You even saw me this morning.” Tsukishima muttered, brushing off Bokuto as he attempted to hug him. This was only successful because Akaashi reached out a hand to tug Bokuto away, standing to grab his boyfriend by the hand, lacing their fingers together.

“Yamaguchi, who are your friends?” Akaashi asked, gentle voice almost soothing against the loud sounds of Kuroo, Bokuto, and Hinata. His question drew the attention of the older students and even Kageyama’s, who had finally managed to push Hinata’s annoying voice away in favor of the calm tone of Akaashi’s.

In almost one fluid movement, the entire group turned to Suga, Daichi, and Takeda.

“Hi, I’m Sugawara and this is my boyfriend, Daichi. It’s nice to meet you.” Suga offered, holding a hand out toward Akaashi, who let go of Bokuto’s to take it. Daichi offered a hand as well, being as polite and calm as Suga. The two were nearly the same person save very subtle differences most couldn’t detect. They didn’t seem at all fazed by the extremely boisterous group they had just walked in on, but were more collected than Bokuto and Kuroo.

“I’m Akaashi and this is my boyfriend, Bokuto.” Akaashi returned, smiling at the polite nature of Suga’s introduction. As they began a small conversation starting with the ever typical college talk, Kuroo drew Daichi’s attention around as he stuck out his own hand, once loud air dying to a rather cool and collected one.

“I’m Kuroo. I had no idea Yamaguchi had more friends than Hinata and Kenma.” Kuroo said, Yamaguchi’s face turning red as they turned their attention toward the two. Kuroo grew attached to people quickly, which meant a statement like this was not out of character for the man. Still, it was embarrassing for Kuroo to say it so bluntly.

“I haven’t known Yamaguchi very long myself, but you can be assured, they have more friends than you think.” Daichi responded, voice calm but expression betraying his ever so slight annoyance with Kuroo. The taller of the two immediately took this as a challenge and for what felt like hours, they clasped hands, staring at each other so politely it was menacing.

“Daichi, don’t break his hand off.” Suga commented, turning from his conversation with Akaashi to catch his boyfriend cutting off Kuroo’s circulation. The well-tanned man finally let go of Kuroo’s hand in favor of his boyfriend’s, smiling politely at Kuroo as he did so. Kuroo let out a small chuckle as he turned back to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, grinning wildly at the two of them.

“The gang just got bigger!” Kuroo exclaimed, ignoring the chatter around him. The once empty and generally silent Karasuno was now alive with conversation and laughter. Kuroo turned to where Kenma had taken a seat across from Kageyama, his phone out to play some games. Tsukishima watched beside Yamaguchi as Kuroo began a conversation about whatever it was Kenma was playing, and the smaller man began to actually respond. It seemed only Kuroo and Hinata could get something out of him.

Across from Kuroo and Kenma were Kageyama and Hinata, who had broken out into come kind of argument not long after Suga and Daichi had introduced themselves. Hinata launched himself at Kageyama after the black haired man said something and they laced their fingers together in some sort of game, pushing each other back and forth. Despite Hinata’s standing advantage, the two were evenly matched and neither could push the other over.

Daichi and Suga were still having a friendly conversation with Bokuto and Akaashi about who knew what, Suga laughing agreeably as Akaashi recalled something, a grin on his face. Both Daichi and Bokuto had a side conversation, but spent a lot of them time watching their boyfriends talk to each other. They were puppies in love with those expressions.

Then there were Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. Yamaguchi had never felt so welcomed in a group before. The place was positively buzzing with the energy in the room and Yamaguchi realized that this was partly their doing. Had they not caught Tsukishima’s eye, they would have never met Kuroo or Bokuto and would have never thought to accept Tsukishima’s offer to go to Karasuno with the gang.  
So, as they watched everyone get along and enjoy the early afternoon, Yamaguchi couldn’t help but smile.

“Why are you smiling?” Tsukishima’s voice came from above them, shocked but not accusing. Yamaguchi looked up, smile still present on their expression, and made eye contact with Tsukishima. Only minutes earlier they would have shied away at the expression on Tsukishima’s face, but this expression wasn’t the same one. It was a fondness Yamaguchi had only ever seen on Suga’s face, and they liked the way it looked on Tsukishima’s.

“Because everyone’s happy. They’re all getting along. I didn’t think they would, especially since Takeda’s never really been around loud people before.” Yamaguchi responded, scanning the group one more time before whipping across them again, realizing they were missing a face. Where had Takeda gone?

“Takeda? Which one was Takeda again?” Tsukishima asked as Yamaguchi whipped around so that they were facing the door. There they found what they were looking for.

Takeda was standing where he had been when the group had entered, but instead of smiling and introducing himself, he was frozen in place. His big eyes were made larger by his glasses, hands shaking violently where they were clasped before him, body rocking side to side as if in attempts to calm nerves.

“Oh my gosh, Takeda I-“ But Yamaguchi was cut off when a rather authoritative voice boomed from the front of the shop. It wasn’t angry, but it was definitely confused.

“Yo! What’s with all the noise?” Ukai called, stepping out from the back and brushing his hands off on his apron. The entire group silenced and turned, but Yamaguchi approached Takeda to rest a hand on his shoulder and as if he was alright.

“Yamaguchi brought us a few new friends, Ukai!” Kuroo called, grinning broadly at the owner of the shop, gesturing widely to the new faces around them. Ukai lifted his brow as Suga stepped up to the counter and offered a hand.

“I’m Sugawara. Yamaguchi and I are in the same art class. Are you a friend of theirs as well?” Suga asked as Ukai took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake. He grinned a little bit at this question and shrugged as their hands dropped.

“I guess you could say that. I haven’t known him for very long, but he gets along well with Tsukishima, and those kinds of people are hard to come by.” Ukai joked, shooting a teasing look toward Tsukishima, who opened his mouth to protest but was cut off when Daichi stepped up and offered a hand as well.

“I’m Daichi. This is a nice place, do you own it?” He asked, the handshake lasting two shakes before it was dropped and Daichi looked around. For the first time since they arrived, the newcomers finally took a look around the place, breathing in the beautiful atmosphere Karasuno held.

“Yup. I started here five years ago when I returned to school for the graduate program. It’s a lot of work holding up both, but I needed some money to pay for rent and pay off some of that debt.” Ukai responded, grinning broadly as he chuckled about his money problems. The place had amazing business, so Ukai’s paying rent wasn’t an issue. It was the enormous debt he had piled up from his bachelor’s degree and then the two years of his master’s and the two so far of his doctorate that the shop wasn’t paying off.

“That takes a lot of hard work.” Daichi awed, scanning the place with new eyes. Everyone else muttered their agreement that Ukai had put a lot of hard work into Karasuno. Tsukishima had heard the story, but there seemed to be new meaning to it every time it was told. Yamaguchi smiled at it, this having been their first time hearing it, they too were in awe of Ukai’s work.

“Yeah, well, it takes a lot of help too... Speaking of which.” Ukai added turning to where Kageyama had pinned Hinata to the table top using a single hand. The small ginger was still struggling beneath Kageyama’s strong grip but was having no luck getting back up. “Oi, Hinata. Doesn’t your shift start soon?” Ukai asked, crossing his arms over his chest as if Hinata could see him do this.

“Yeah! One sec, Ukai.” He grumbled through his squished lips and continued to struggle against Kageyama until the taller student suddenly released him and he went flying into the front counter. There was a large collection of laughter, including from Takeda who had seemed to calm down, as Hinata stormed off toward the back room to get ready.

“Ukai, this is Takeda. He’s the one who teaches the class Suga and I are in.” Yamaguchi called from the back and the entire crowd turned at once to spot Takeda beside Yamaguchi. The small teacher tensed up immediately, hands clasping tighter at his front.

“It’s nice to meet all of you.” He exclaimed, forcing it out almost too much. Yamaguchi smiled fondly of the nervous man’s energy, his ability to come off as awkward almost too good. Takeda was a friendly and relaxed person when around people he was comfortable with, which were less than half the people in the room.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Would like anything to drink?” Ukai offered, gesturing to the menu posted above his head. Yamaguchi gave Takeda a small push and the professor shuffled his way to the front where he stopped in front of Ukai, not much taller beside the older man.

“Um, that would be nice.” Takeda said, smiling lightly as he physically relaxed before the counter, beginning a conversation with Ukai about good coffee and the perfect treats to go with it. The entire group seemed to ease back into their usual chatter as Hinata came around front with his apron on, ready to work.

Kageyama resumed his homework, glancing up every once in a while to glare at Hinata as he worked while Kuroo and Kenma continued talking about the game Kenma was playing. Daichi, Suga, Bokuto, and Akaashi ordered drinks and some sweets and took booth seats near the entrance to the café as Yamaguchi stepped back up to Tsukishima, who hadn’t moved since the whole thing with Takeda.

“We should sit down somewhere.” Yamaguchi suggested after a few minutes where Tsukishima didn’t move. The taller student looked down as they said this, as if shocked to hear them speaking. He nodded, though, and Yamaguchi took a single table near Kuroo and Kenma’s. Tsukishima pulled up a chair from another table and sat in front of them as they pulled their bag onto their lap and took out a sketchbook, a pencil, and an eraser.

“Do you paint and draw?” Tsukishima asked as Yamaguchi flipped to a blank page in their sketchbook, looking up in surprise at the question. Tsukishima knew they were an art student, but they had never talked about their favorite mediums with him.

“How did you know I paint?” Yamaguchi asked, looking directly into Tsukishima’s eyes and making him look away. Sometimes, when they looked at Tsukishima, he couldn’t hold the gaze and would look away quickly.

“You have paint all over your arms and hands.” Tsukishima responded, gesturing with his eyes to Yamaguchi’s hands and arms. Looking down, Yamaguchi noticed that there was, indeed, still paint all over their arms. They had never gotten around to washing it off properly, so it was starting to flake in places. Turning a light shade of pink they nodded.

“Yeah, um, painting and sketching are my two favorite mediums, but I’m learning to be better rounded and use other mediums.” Yamaguchi responded and Tsukishima nodded, the conversation falling silent. Yamaguchi took this as their cue to continue what they had started to do but was cut off again when Tsukishima’s voice took on a pleading tone.

“Yamaguchi, can you please be my model for my photo shoot.” He asked, eyes making contact with Yamaguchi’s and this time not looking away. Yamaguchi sighed, eyes falling into a sad expression as they recalled the desperation with which Tsukishima asked this question the last several times he had done it. Every single time Yamaguchi and Tsukishima spent time together, which had been about five or six in the past month, he had ended their conversations with this very question.

“Tsukki, you know I can’t. Please stop asking.” Yamaguchi begged, looking into Tsukishima’s eyes as long as they could before Tsukishima finally dropped the gaze with a defeated sigh, the same one he gave every time Yamaguchi said no.

“Yeah, sorry, Yamaguchi. I’ll stop.” He muttered, pulling his own bag from the floor and taking something out to work on. It hurt Yamaguchi to say ‘no’ so frequently, but they knew they couldn’t do a photo shoot for Tsukishima. It just wasn’t their thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Massive date...day


	4. Picnic Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo calls the whole gang up for one massive group date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter so much! It's definitely neater than the last one. Enjoy!

The apartment buzzed with the hum of the refrigerator and the harsh noises from the TV screen. The Saturday morning had been filled with the clicking and tapping of the remote controls and the occasional whine or groan from Kuroo or Bokuto. They had been playing some stupid video game since they had gotten up and hadn’t accomplished anything productive all morning.

On the other hand, Tsukishima had managed to finish most of his homework assignments for the weekend and was currently working on the final one as his roommate and friend played their game. What game it was, he didn’t know nor did he care. He was too busy doing something smart to pay any attention to their antics.

The game came to yet another close as Bokuto groaned, throwing his head backward with the noise, dropping his hands into his lap dramatically. Kuroo did similarly, dropping his head to his chest instead. For a second they sat like this, wallowing in their defeat before Bokuto looked back up at Kuroo, fire still in his eyes.

“Want to go again?” He asked, the question sounding just a bit like a statement rather than a question. Kuroo looked up to respond when Tsukishima finished his homework, closing the lid of his laptop with a sigh and gathering attention from both of them. 

“Did you just finish your homework?” Kuroo asked, wide eyes incredulous about the fact that Tsukishima had, yet again, finished his homework early. It should have been common knowledge to the black haired man. They had been living together every year of school since Tsukishima had started. Finishing his homework was his first priority over the weekends.

“Yes, I did. You should to, if you want to comfortably relax.” Tsukishima muttered, pushing his laptop off his lap before sliding into a small slouch. Kuroo clicked his tongue and Bokuto let out a soft chuckle.

“I’ll have plenty of time. I always do.” Kuroo insisted, dropping his hands back into his lap with the controller. It was true, Kuroo always finished his homework. Most of the time that meant he didn’t get enough sleep Sunday night, but he always finished it. Bokuto, on the other hand, never finished everything on time. It always got finished, but hardly ever on time. His professors hated that he lacked the responsibility. Akaashi felt the same.

“Right, whatever.” Tsukishima muttered, closing his eyes and rubbing them with thin fingers from underneath his glasses. Staring at his computer screen for so long made his eyes tired and they really needed a break. 

For a moment the three just sat there, Kuroo and Bokuto staring back and forth between each other and the ‘end game’ screen and Tsukishima rubbing his eyes while letting out the occasional yawn. With a sudden flourish and huff, Kuroo rose to his feet. Tsukishima lazily removed his fingers from his eyes, used to his roommates dramatic need for attention. There was no reason to give it to him immediately.

“How about we hang with all our new friends? We haven’t all been together for a few weeks and we’re not going to get much done sitting about here.” Kuroo suggested, earning a bright eyed look from Bokuto. However, Kuroo was addressing Tsukishima. He knew Bokuto would say yes, he always did, but Tsukishima was another matter entirely. 

“I have nothing better to do. You do, though.” Tsukishima responded, referring to the conversation from seconds ago about homework. Despite Tsukishima’s serious tone, Kuroo ignored his words and grinned, only listening to Tsukishima’s first sentence.

“Bokuto, you call up Akaashi, tell him to come over. I’ll call Kenma and see if he can get Hinata. Tsukishima, you call Yamaguchi and see if Suga and Daichi want to come over.” Kuroo instructed, Bokuto already on the move before he needed to be told. Tsukishima opened his mouth to speak when Kuroo paused, counting visibly on his fingers before adding in: “do either of you know Kageyama’s number?” 

Bokuto, who was already on the phone with Akaashi, shook his head no before speaking into the phone and asking his boyfriend if he wanted to come over. Tsukishima shook his head as well when Kuroo turned to look at him and the standing man clicked his tongue in dismay.

“What makes you think I have Yamaguchi’s number?” Tsukishima asked, curious to know why Kuroo thought he had Yamaguchi’s number. Sure, they had known each other for two months, but what about the two of them made Kuroo think they had exchanged numbers?

“You guys get along, don’t you? Yamaguchi always struck me as the type to give out his number to his friends.” Kuroo responded, already pulling out his phone and scrolling for Kenma’s contact. Tsukishima huffed, knowing Kuroo was more than right. Not only had Yamaguchi given him his number shortly after the karaoke night, but he texted Tsukishima pretty frequently to give him little updates or show him beautiful places that would be great to photograph. 

“I guess we do. He did, but I don’t know if he’ll say yes.” Tsukishima responded, turning his face away from Kuroo to hide the slightly nervous way he was feeling. It was almost as if Kuroo could sense this because he sat down beside Tsukishima with a flop, making the blonde jump slightly on the couch. 

“Do you think you’re stuck in your relationship?” Kuroo asked, sounding a bit like he was trying to be a counselor. Tsukishima scoffed and looked in the opposite direction from Kuroo, angry that this man knew him so well. 

“We don’t have a relationship, Kuroo.” Tsukishima muttered, hoping to kill the conversation there and have the last word. Sometimes it infuriated him when Kuroo was right. It was almost as if he knew him better than he knew himself. 

“A friendship is a relationship, idiot. Just call him up.” Kuroo said, nudging Tsukishima playfully in the shoulder with his own shoulder before standing and hitting the call button to get Kenma on the phone. As he left, Tsukishima watched him go, disgruntled that Kuroo had managed to get in the last word. 

By the time Kuroo had left the room to have a bit more silence, Bokuto was basically done talking to Akaashi, though he was fervently telling him something completely different from what Kuroo had asked him to bring up. Knowing Bokuto, he had already asked and Akaashi had already said yes. Also knowing Bokuto, he was probably excited to get to talk to his boyfriend even when Akaashi was heading over anyway.

With a sigh, Tsukishima pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his contact until he found Yamaguchi, who had put himself in as Yama with two mountain emojis on either side of his name. Tsukishima hadn’t gotten around to changing it, finding it slightly endearing that Yamaguchi had done it this way. 

Pressing the phone button at the top of the screen, Tsukishima placed the call and pressed his phone to his ear as the dial tone began to ring mutedly into his ear. It only rang a couple of times before it was answered with the peppy, bright sound of Yamaguchi’s voice. He sounded in a good mood.

“Tsukki! You never call me! What’s up?” Yamaguchi asked, sounding brighter and happier than usual. Was it because Tsukishima had called him? Tsukishima sure hoped so, though it wouldn’t hurt if it was something else. 

“Kuroo wanted to get the gang together. We were wondering if you’d like to come over? I don’t exactly know what he has in mind, but it can’t be too bad.” Tsukishima said, realizing that all Kuroo had said was to invite him over. What were they supposed to be doing? Could they even fit ten people into their apartment at once? Kuroo hadn’t said to invite Ukai or Takeda, so he supposed there was more space with two less people. 

“Of course! I’ve been meaning to get out. Would you like me to ask Hinata if he wants to come?” Yamaguchi responded, his voice muffling slightly as if he pulled his phone away from his face for a second. Tsukishima held back a groan at the idea of inviting Hinata, but he knew Kuroo had intended for everyone to come.

“Yeah. If Kenma hasn’t already. You can also ask Suga and Daichi if they want to come.” Tsukishima said, more than willing to invite the older two. They had been rather nice and calming, though brighter than Akaashi. 

“Hinata’s actually sitting right here, so he can hear just about everything we’re saying.” Yamaguchi laughed and there was a shout from somewhere on the other end that sounded vaguely like Hinata saying Tsukishima’s name. With a pained look, Tsukishima laughed lightly before Yamaguchi added on: “and of course I can ask Suga and Daichi. I’m sure they’d love to come.” Tsukishima was glad his end of the deal had been won out when he froze in thought.

“Um, do you or Hinata know Kageyama’s number?” He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose at the idea that they were inviting not only Hinata, but Kageyama as well. Kuroo had insisted on everybody, so Tsukishima might as well ask.

“Hinata says he does.” Yamaguchi responded, laughter bubbling up on his end of the line when he tagged on something else. “He also says he doesn’t understand why we need to invite him.” Yamaguchi barely managed to get it out through his laughter and Tsukishima only laughed in response because the sound was so contagious. 

“Kuroo insisted on everybody.” Tsukishima responded, as if talking directly to Hinata. He listened as Yamaguchi relayed this to the small ball of energy and he was actually able to hear the groan he made in response. Tsukishima let out a genuine snicker, finding that he and Hinata could agree on something. Kageyama was annoying. 

“We’ll be right over.” Yamaguchi laughed, asking quickly where Tsukishima’s apartment was before hanging up and leaving Tsukishima to sigh into the empty silence of their living room. Bokuto had long since hung up on Akaashi – though it was more likely that Akaashi hung up on him – and Kuroo was still missing from the room. 

“Looks like we’re going to be a little packed.” Bokuto chuckled as Tsukishima nodded, turning his head lazily toward the kitchen and suddenly snapping into panicked action. 

The apartment was a mess. 

Sure, for Kuroo it was actually rather tidy, so it was more cluttered than messy. But to Tsukishima, who kept everything that was his well organized, it was a mess and they were about to have ten people in the room at once.

“We need to clean up.” Tsukishima said, shooting to his feet as he made a beeline for the kitchen and the sink with five or six dishes piled in it. The dishwasher was completely clean and waiting to be emptied, so Tsukishima busied himself with emptying it. As he did this, Bokuto stood and began to clean the clutter off the floor, pushing the couches back into their usual positions and picking up the garbage from their mini party the previous night. 

Even if Bokuto was a like a puppy and a child mixed into one, he could still be a rather reasonable adult. 

“Alright, I think we got everyone. Kenma said Hinata could call Kageyama. Oi, what’s with the bustling?” Kuroo reentered the room, sliding his phone into his pocket as he entered. Bokuto was pushing the vacuum back into the closet and Tsukishima was putting the dirty dishes into the washer. 

“It’s a little messy.” Bokuto commented as Tsukishima pushed the dishwasher closed and began clearing the counter of any trash, wiping off crumbs as Bokuto neatly placed the remotes back where they belonged, switching from the end game screen on the console to the consoles main loading screen.

“Oh, right.” Kuroo muttered, acknowledging that it was a mess right as the two finished the tidying up. It hadn’t been as bad as it had looked, so the cleaning had been faster than either had expected. “Well, now that it’s clean, how about we all put something decent on?” Kuroo suggested, gesturing to their collective assortment of sweatpants, tank tops, baggy sweaters, and shirtless torsos. The final one was none other than Kuroo himself, but the man was proud of his body and didn’t mind walking around shirtless when it was socially acceptable.

Tsukishima looked down at the paint stained mess that were his sweatpants, the fraying hemline near his ankles covered in what appeared to be dried, caked on dirt. There was a small hole his left thigh, revealing the bright red of his boxers beneath it. His sweater was similar, a few awkward holes and fraying neckline and sleeves. 

“That’s a good idea.” Bokuto offered when Tsukishima failed to say anything. His scruffy hair hadn’t been spiked and was pressed down from where he had slept on it. However, his sweatpants looked almost brand new, the elastic cuffs clinging to his ankles tightly, his tank top a similar story save the tear that had been messily sewn back up on one of the straps. 

Tsukishima nodded and the three split. Bokuto had tucked his things into the closet with the vacuum and was pulling clothes out when Tsukishima disappeared into his room to pull out a nice pair of jeans, a v-neck that he didn’t actually mind, and a stormy grey cardigan Kuroo had gotten him for his birthday a couple of years ago. They all slipped on nicely and before long he was back out into the living room where Bokuto was buttoning choice buttons on his shirt before rolling up the sleeves to his elbows. 

If Tsukishima didn’t know any better, he would have dubbed him as a lumberjack getting ready for work. 

Kuroo entered the room wearing a rather tight fitting, long sleeve shirt with words printed across the front and down the sleeves, sporting fun colors and bold fonts. It was from his senior year in high school and it didn’t exactly fit him as well as Tsukishima’s cardigan still did. However, with Kuroo’s physique – which Tsukishima found himself occasionally admiring – he pulled it off.

Right as Tsukishima was about to make a comment that Kuroo had outgrown that shirt years ago, there came a knock on the door. Bokuto practically skipped to answer it, flinging it open to welcome their first guests. 

“Akaashi!” Bokuto exclaimed, almost visibly shrinking as he reached forward to grab Akaashi’s hands and then give him a small kiss before letting him in. It made sense that Akaashi be the first to arrive, since he visited Kuroo and Tsukishima’s apartment frequently with Bokuto. 

“Kuroo, Tsukishima. It’s nice to see both of you.” Akaashi said and Tsukishima reciprocated as Kuroo smiled and said hello. For a moment they were the only ones there, Akaashi and Bokuto taking a seat on one of the couches as Kuroo and Tsukishima tried not to look like they were visibly waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Tsukishima was doing a better job of this, as Kuroo was vibrating lightly in his seat. 

Another knock came and Kuroo shot to his feet, beating Tsukishima to the door before he even had the chance to think of opening it. 

“Kenma! It’s nice to see you.” Kuroo said and Tsukishima turned his head to find the small man enter the room, Hinata, Yamaguchi, Suga, and Daichi not far behind him. “I’m glad all of you could come.” Kuroo chirped, playing the friendly host to a tee. It wasn’t hard to tell that Kuroo was a people person. Much more of a people person than Tsukishima.

“Hi guys! Wow, you’re apartment is pretty big!” Hinata chimed, looking over Kenma’s shoulder as they all walked inside, taking in the apartment. To Tsukishima, the place wasn’t really that large, but after they had pushed the couches back and tidied up from the previous night, it looked admittedly bigger than usual. 

“Hi, Tsukki. It’s nice to see you.” Tsukishima turned to the sound of the nickname coming from Yamaguchi’s mouth. It was hard to believe that after only two months, the beautiful man he had spotted at Karasuno not only hung out with him on a regular basis, but he thought it was nice to see him. It was a good thing, too, because Tsukishima found himself staring less and less. It didn’t necessarily mean he found Yamaguchi any less beautiful, if anything he was more beautiful than ever, but he realized he didn’t frighten Yamaguchi as much anymore. 

“It’s nice to see you too.” Tsukishima responded, smiling lightly at him. For a moment they just looked at each other as the rest of the guests settled in and talked. After a few seconds it became a bit awkward and Yamaguchi found himself flicking his eyes in various other directions, Tsukishima following suit. “Um, would you like to sit down?” Tsukishima finally asked, scooting closer to the armrest on the couch where he was sitting and gesturing to the empty space beside him.

“Sure.” Yamaguchi responded, his smile reappearing on his face. Tsukishima smiled as well, glad to have broken the awkward silence between them. The couch dipped slightly as Yamaguchi sat down next to him, but he didn’t have much time to focus on the warmth radiating from the smaller man because Hinata was in the middle of awing over their game station.

“Ouwah! You guys have a game console?! My family owns ours, so I wasn’t allowed to bring it to school and haven’t saved up enough to buy a new one yet!” Hinata raved, scanning the game console as if it was something out of a fairytale and it was hard to believe that he was looking right at it. Kuroo let out a small chuckle, amused at Hinata’s antics.

“We can play a few games if you want?” He offered, gesturing to the four different controllers sitting beside the console. Hinata made new noises again, awe completely renewed as if these controllers held a deeper meaning. Tsukishima narrowed his eyes at the child-like nature of the smaller man. If he got along with Bokuto, why was it so hard to get along with Hinata? 

“Hinata, you called Kageyama, right?” Yamaguchi snapped Tsukishima from his annoyed face by calling across the room to the smaller man, who immediately drooped, arms hanging toward the ground. The small ball of energy let out the loudest groan Tsukishima had ever heard from anyone, earning several laughs from around the room, especially from Tsukishima. 

“Yeah, I called him. The idiot sounded too eager to come over, but he said he’d be here as fast as he could manage.” Hinata muttered, picking up the CD case off the shelf absently to flip through the games Kuroo had. Yamaguchi laughed at this as well, earning a small smile from Tsukishima as well. Alright, so maybe he could remain less annoyed at Hinata when Hinata was going to be annoyed at Kageyama all day. 

“Wait, so, that makes ten of us. Was this intended to be a group date, Kuroo?” This question came from Daichi, who didn’t sound at all offended, but rather curious. Tsukishima felt himself instantly heat up, Yamaguchi fidgeting beside him, Hinata’s mouth flapping open and closed as if trying to protest. Kuroo turned to look at Kenma, who had averted his gaze from the taller man and was turning a light shade of pink.

“Um, if that’s okay with everyone else, yeah, that’s what I intended it to be.” Kuroo responded, turning a bit pink himself. Tsukishima felt his eyes widen slightly in surprise. Kuroo never did this. Whenever he went on a date, it was him and his date and no one else. Bokuto had suggested group dates all the time and Kuroo always insisted group dates were for later, when you wanted the person to meet your friends and family. Kuroo had known Kenma for two months, and he was already not only willing to go on a group date, but create it himself. 

Kuroo must really like Kenma.

“That’s okay, we’re fine with it. We’ve been needing to get out together.” Suga offered, grinning at Kuroo and then turning to smile at Daichi, who returned the gaze with about as much genuine happiness as his boyfriend. Akaashi and Bokuto were next to accept the date, but it didn’t comfort Kuroo much knowing the established couples in the room were the ones that were okay with it. 

“Tsukishima, you’re fine, right?” Kuroo asked, turning toward Tsukishima who turned a darker shade of pink by being put on the spot. Was he alright with being set up? It wasn’t like it was a bad set up, he’d known Yamaguchi for a while now, they were friends. The problem was that he hadn’t anticipated this to be called a date. Dating wasn’t his style, he avoided romantic relationships at all costs. No one ever stayed.

“I can tell you I’m not fine with it!” Hinata shouted before Tsukishima managed to get an answer out of his mouth. Normally an outburst from Hinata would have been enough to annoy Tsukishima, but for the moment, he was glad Kuroo had a distraction from his answer. He could almost feel himself shaking when Kuroo turned away from him to look at Hinata. Was he alright with being on a date without prior knowledge of it? He didn’t know.

“What’s wrong with a large group date? It’s no different than hanging out with your friends.” Kuroo insisted, gesturing to the group. They were all friends at this point, since Daichi and Suga had begun to frequent Karasuno whenever they could, dragging Takeda when the professor had time. Hinata hung out with Kageyama and the others all the time, what could possibly be the difference?

“Yeah it is! There’s still exclusivity in a group date! Look at Daichi and Suga! Bokuto and Akaashi! Yourself and Kenma! Tsukishima and Yamaguchi! I am not going on a date with Kageyama!” Hinata practically shouted, the naming of every couple earning bright red blushes across Kenma, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima’s faces. Hinata didn’t seem to notice because he angrily flipped to the next video game in the CD case.

There was a knock on the door.

“That must be Kageyama. Let’s hope he didn’t hear your shouting.” Kuroo grumbled lightly, trying to sound just a bit cheery as he headed toward the door to open it up. As they all expected, Kageyama was standing at the door, awkwardly shuffling his feet, not looking up. As soon as the door opened he snapped his head up and looked at Kuroo, an attempted smile crossing his face.

“Hey, Kuroo.” He said, his blue eyes flitting nervously across the room. It wasn’t like he didn’t spend time with this group every day. Yet, he looked more nervous than Tsukishima had ever seen him look. The only explanation was that he had heard what Hinata had said and he was trying to hide it. Then it hit Tsukishima.

“Yo, Kageyama! Come on in! We were getting ready to play some video games!” Kuroo said, stepping aside to let Kageyama in. The instant the tall, black hair man was in the room there was slightly tense, awkward air. It was only broken when Kuroo suggested they play Mario Kart and Hinata insisted he would win. Kageyama immediately protested this and Kenma made some off handed comment about how long it had been since he had last played.

Kuroo went on to insist that they start off the round and the others didn’t protest, Tsukishima busy watching the way Kageyama was acting toward Hinata.

If Kageyama had heard what Hinata had said, the usual response would have been for Kageyama to get angry at Hinata, yell at him a bit. However, Kageyama had gotten flustered and awkward and hadn’t said a word to Hinata until Kuroo suggested they play the game. Tsukishima had only one conclusion he could draw from this reaction.

Kageyama liked Hinata.

“Gross.” Tsukishima muttered, watching Kageyama push at Hinata from his spot on the floor as they turned a corner, Hinata letting loose a blue shell to boot Kageyama from first place. Yamaguchi beside him looked up and creased his brow in confusion.

“What’s gross, Tsukki?” He asked, looking between Tsukishima and the group of four sitting on the floor, playing with almost their full bodies. Except Kenma, who had just used a bullet to race straight into firs and maintain this spot for the rest of the race. He didn’t seem to be moving a muscle through the whole thing.

“How would Kageyama have responded to Kuroo answering the door if he hadn’t heard Hinata?” Tsukishima asked, deciding to quiz Yamaguchi and see how smart he really was. Which, Tsukishima already knew, was very smart. Still, playing guessing games was always fun.

“He would have said hi, or something like that.” Yamaguchi responded, eyebrows creasing further as Tsukishima nodded and continued.

“So, if he had heard Hinata, what would his response have been?” Tsukishima asked, enjoying playing this game with Yamaguchi as Kageyama handed his controller off to Bokuto. Yamaguchi turned to look at Kageyama for a minute, watching as the tall, black haired man shoved Hinata when the smaller man teased him about the game. 

“He would have called Hinata stupid and hit him.” Yamaguchi said, his eyebrows releasing their confused look as he realized this. Tsukishima waited a while as Yamaguchi followed the two across the room where they entered the kitchen, asking Kuroo if they could have some water. As Kuroo pointed them toward the cupboard with the cups, Yamaguchi let out a loud gasp, covering it with his hand as he did so.

“Why is that gross, Tsukki? It’s kind of sweet.” Yamaguchi responded, turning toward Tsukishima and shoving him lightly on the shoulder. Tsukishima grunted and rolled his eyes, recalling that Hinata was Yamaguchi’s best friend. Of course he wouldn’t find someone liking Hinata cute. Tsukishima just thought it was a little gross that it had to be these two annoying idiots. 

“Whatever.” Tsukishima muttered, turning back to the TV as Bokuto and Akaashi went head to head with Daichi and Suga. It was amusing, Daichi was far more into it than Tsukishima had thought he would be and he and Bokuto were yelling and shouting about the race, their boyfriends calmly racing along, amused grins on their faces. 

The gang played through three rounds of Mario Kart before they decided to race a real tournament. Whoever could hold first place the longest won. It was Hinata’s idea and a rather flawed system. The first round consisted of those who had taken first place during any of the other races. This group consisted of Kenma, Kageyama, Bokuto, and Daichi. Kenma easily took the first round before the controllers were passed onto other people in the room.

It was no surprise when Kenma held first place until the very end. 

Kuroo grinned proudly as Kenma won the final race, the end tournament sequence beginning with Kenma’s character standing on the top podium. The actual player didn’t look at all interested in the fact that he had won, but Kuroo was talking his ear off and Kenma was actually talking to him normally. 

“I’ve never seen Kenma get along with someone so easily in such a short amount of time.” Yamaguchi muttered as the controllers were placed beside the console again and the group hung back a bit, talking for a while about what to do next. Tsukishima turned to look down at Yamaguchi, who had been shoved closer to him when Hinata and Kageyama insisted on sharing the couch. It wasn’t nearly big enough for all of them, despite three very skinny butts and one moderately skinny one.

“How long have you known Kenma?” Tsukishima asked as Hinata chimed in his idea loudly from the other side of Yamaguchi. The brunette didn’t seem to notice his friend’s outburst and looked up toward the ceiling, eyes rolling back in thought.

“Senior year of high school, I think. So, three years?” Yamaguchi responded looking over at Tsukishima as he said this. It wasn’t very long, definitely not as long as Tsukishima had known Kuroo or Bokuto.

“How long have you known Hinata?” Tsukishima was kind of curious, since the two were nearly attached at the hip and could very often be found together. Which was both annoying and kind of endearing. It was nice to know Yamaguchi had a good friend, but why did it have to be Hinata?

“Kindergarten.” Yamaguchi grinned as Tsukishima’s expression widened with surprise. “I know, it’s a very long time. Hinata, Yachi, and I were in the same kindergarten class together, and Hinata was a very friendly kid. He’s the entire reason I can talk to people at all. Yachi’s still a little shy, but she’s way better than when we first met her.” Yamaguchi responded. Tsukishima recognized the name, Yachi. She had been in his photography class the previous semester and they had actually kind of gotten along. Small world. 

“That’s pretty cool.” Tsukishima muttered, realizing he wasn’t being the least bit sarcastic as he said it. It really was cool that Yamaguchi not only had an old friend, but that said old friend had been who brought him out of his shell. For a split second, Tsukishima felt grateful for Hinata.

“What about a picnic?” The sounds of people planning things without them brought Tsukishima back to the conversation at hand, his face turning from Yamaguchi’s as Kuroo suggested they have a picnic. In October? What, was he crazy? 

“That sounds like a lot of fun. We can all bring something different to eat, lay out a blanket, bring thick clothes. I like it.” This came from Suga, the second voice of reason Tsukishima had come to trust among the group. Akaashi beside him was nodding slowly and Tsukishima realized that there was no way this idea wasn’t coming to fruition if they had the approval of both Akaashi and Suga.

“Awesome! Who wants to do what?” Kuroo asked, not even bothering to ask the rest of the group if they agreed. There wasn’t any immediate protest, so Kuroo took this as everyone agreeing to the idea. Tsukishima knew it would be cold, but he figured it wasn’t a horrible idea.

“I have a good blanket I can use!” Hinata exclaimed, shooting from his seat and causing the couch to rock ever so slightly. His tiny frame and light weight didn’t leave much of an impact on the couch so it was almost as if he hadn’t stood up in the first place. 

“I have left over cups and soda from a party my roommate threw a while ago.” Kageyama said, standing up carefully, his weight not effecting Yamaguchi from the distance at which he had been sitting away from the freckled brunette. 

“Great, you guys go get those.” Kuroo said, Hinata already heading toward the door to slip his shoes on his feet, growling at Kageyama as the taller of the two leaned over to get his own shoes.

“Why are you following me?” Hinata grumbled, as Kuroo turned to the rest of the gang for ideas. They were all sidetracked by the rather loud argument happening by the door, Kageyama growling at Hinata’s question.

“There’s only one way out, idiot.” Kageyama snapped back as Hinata stood straight and pushed toward the door. Kageyama beat him to it and held it open for Hinata like a gentleman. However, Hinata hissed in his direction, refusing to leave until Kageyama let go of the door.

“I know that, but you don’t have to come with me to get the blanket.” Hinata retorted, turning a light shade of pink at Kageyama’s statement. The taller man rolled his eyes, clearly aggravated by the small monster.

“I’m not. We live in the same apartment complex.” Kageyama pointed out, this fact earning a small chuckle from Yamaguchi beside Tsukishima. Hinata’s eyes widened and then squinted immediately.

“No we don’t, I think I would have noticed if I had ever seen you.” Hinata grumbled, finally giving in to Kageyama’s holding the door for him, stepping out of the apartment, Kageyama following behind.

“Yeah we do. It’s a big place, of course you wouldn’t notice.” This was the last thing they heard as the door slammed shut, though they could hear the muffled argument continue as they headed down the stairs. When it had died out too far for them to hear, several of the students in the room began to laugh.

“You knew Kageyama lived in the same apartment complex as you?” Tsukishima asked, turning to look at Yamaguchi, who was giggling softly into his hand. He nodded his head and took a breath.

“Sometimes his roommate throws these big parties. Whenever I’m outside painting during one of them, Kageyama will come out and sit on the bench behind me to read. Sometimes we talk. It was a bit of a shock meeting him at Karasuno, but it wasn’t weird.” Yamaguchi responded and Tsukishima couldn’t help but smile slightly at this. Yamaguchi knew everyone. Without intending to, Yamaguchi knew everyone. At first Tsukishima had thought Hinata knew everyone, but it was really Yamaguchi.

“Alright, who’s getting the actual food?” Kuroo asked, and the conversation turned back toward what was important.

\----

Tsukishima had been put in charge of chips and Yamaguchi of cookies. They were currently at the store browsing the cookie aisle, the rest of the gang somewhere else in the store looking for their items. The only two who had enough of their assignment on the spot were Hinata and Kageyama, who were already at the park setting up the blanket for when everyone was ready.

“Chocolate chip sound good?” Yamaguchi asked as Tsukishima stood beside him, pretending to browse the cookies, shooting sideways glances at Yamaguchi on occasion. Tsukishima shrugged. He was a peanut butter cookie man himself.

“It’s the universal cookie, so yeah, I guess.” Tsukishima responded as Yamaguchi took one package off the shelves, grabbing a couple of other bags with different cookies in them as well. He, gladly, noted the peanut butter cookie bag in Yamaguchi’s hand before the logo disappeared behind one of the other bags.

“Alright, that’s all of our stuff. Everyone else should be about done, too. Let’s go checkout.” Yamaguchi suggested, nudging Tsukishima down the aisle toward the checkout stands. As was expected, the majority of the group was already standing near the entrance, their bags in hand, waiting for everyone else. Kuroo and Kenma were in a checkout aisle when Yamaguchi and Tsukishima reached their own.

The transaction was fast and before ten minutes were up the group was headed toward the park where they found Kageyama and Hinata arguing about something. Tsukishima didn’t care to understand what it was, though he did note that Hinata was laying completely sprawled across the blanket and Kageyama was sitting beside him, crisscross with his head leaning over Hinata’s face. 

“The party has arrived!” Kuroo exclaimed, dropping his bags into the blanket before finding a spot for himself. Kenma dropped daintily beside him, Hinata sitting up completely to allow for the rest of the group to fit. 

The rest of the day was spent making sandwiches, eating food, telling stories, playing games, and generally having a laugh. Despite himself, Tsukishima was having a really good time, glad to be sitting beside Yamaguchi, enjoying the laughter of all his friends in one place at the same time. 

There was no end to the wonderful day as Bokuto told an embarrassing Kuroo in high school story, earning an actual amused laugh from Kenma. As Kuroo tried to hide how absolutely taken he was with this smile, Akaashi proceeded to tell an embarrassing Bokuto story, earning the whining of his boyfriend and a good neck nuzzling for the rest of the picnic. 

Hinata and Yamaguchi told joint stories of their adventures as kids, having known each other the longest in the group and having some amusingly good ones. The majority of them consisted of Hinata coming up with a stupid idea, Yamaguchi either agreeing with it or disagreeing, Hinata doing it no matter the response, and Hinata ending up injured, with Yamaguchi getting an adult. 

There was a particular story Hinata told with amusement that Yamaguchi insisted they not tell, not in the embarrassed ‘I don’t want them to hear it’ way but the sad ‘Hinata, don’t’ way. Still, the ginger relayed a rather frightening tale of the day he almost drowned, saved only by the currents of the river he was in and some mysterious kid who had yelled at him for being stupid moments after saving him. He bubbled with laughter when the story was told and the group attempted to laugh as well, but it was clearly a scarring story and the fact that Hinata told it with such joy was scary.

Kageyama was the only one visibly disturbed by the telling of the story, insisting Hinata not act so light hearted about it. As the two argued over how Hinata should have told the story, Daichi pulled out his phone, noticing the time with a sad expression.

“Sorry guys, but Suga and I should be going. We have dinner with my parents tonight.” Daichi explained, pushing himself to his feet before offering a hand out to his boyfriend, who took it without needing any pushing. Daichi didn’t do any visible pulling but, rather, rooted himself to the spot as Suga pulled himself up using Daichi’s hand.

“That’s alright. Have fun!” Kuroo called, the group giving out their own individual goodbyes except Hinata and Kageyama, who were still arguing. Whatever the subject was now, Tsukishima didn’t care, he only knew that it had changed. 

“Speaking of going, Akaashi and I are going to head too. You guys have a great rest of the night.” Bokuto said, pushing himself to his feet, Akaashi joining him without the offered hand. As they walked off, they waved goodbye, Tsukishima feeling his sanity dwindling as the two major voices of reason left the group. 

Kuroo huffed a sigh and stood up, brushing himself off as if brushing dirt off his clothes. “I guess it’s time to start cleaning up then, huh?” He said lightly, leaning down to pick up garbage and thrown about wrappers. Kema grabbed a few items as well, handing some to Kuroo before standing with what he had left.

“I’ll come with you.” He offered, giving Kuroo a soft smile, which was returned tenfold by the one it was offered to. They disappeared toward the garbage cans as Tsukishima noted the visible lighting difference. The sun had started to go down several minutes before and now the light was disappearing rapidly. 

“Well if you think you’re so great at it, then show me!” Hinata shouted, interrupting Tsukishima’s attempts to start a conversation with Yamaguchi. Kageyama shot to his feet without hesitation, followed quickly after by Hinata.

“I will!” He shouted back and, before Tsukishima or Yamaguchi had the chance to say anything, they both shot off at top speed somewhere neither of the two left caught. There was silence as the sun descended toward the horizon, the splashes of color it left on the clouds creating a beautiful sight.

It wasn’t until the stars started coming out that Tsukishima realized something.

“Kuroo and Kenma aren’t coming back, are they?” Tsukishima muttered, not entirely disappointed in Kuroo and Kenma. He didn’t mind if they disappeared, they had at least cleaned up the mess and left Yamaguchi and him with only the blanket and leftovers to deal with. It was Hinata and Kageyama he was most disgruntled with. They hadn’t even tried to help and had just booked it who knew where and were, very obviously, not coming back. 

“I don’t think so.” Yamaguchi muttered, turning away from Tsukishima as the blonde turned to look toward him. His face was lit by only the fading light of the sun and the ever brightening shine of the moon. His freckles lit up like the stars above them and Tsukishima felt himself melting into the beautiful brown of them. 

“Today wasn’t what I expected it to be.” Tsukishima finally said, turning away from Yamaguchi in favor of the stars above them. He was aware of Yamaguchi turning to look at him before taking on the same position. It took almost all of Tsukishima’s willpower not to stare down at Yamaguchi and breathe in his beauty. 

“What did you expect it to be?” Yamaguchi asked, not moving his head to look at Tsukishima, gazing at the stars in much the same fashion Tsukishima was. It was peaceful, nearly dead silent. The small college town allowed for them to see most of the stars, the trees around them barely blocking anything out as they looked up, the last of the sunlight fading entirely. 

“Chaotic.” Tsukishima responded, throwing his legs out in front of him and leaning backward on his hands, his right hand landing on something warm. With surprise he looked down to find that he had leaned right into Yamaguchi’s hand. He removed his quickly, awkwardly placing it mere inches away from Yamaguchi’s instead.

There was temporary silence in which Tsukishima furiously attempted not to look at Yamaguchi, knowing full well his face had to be deep red from the contact. Then there was a warmth on his hand. Looking down quickly he felt like he almost got whiplash, he realized Yamaguchi had moved his hand on top of Tsukishima’s.

“Well, it was perfect.” Yamaguchi said, his amber eyes locking with Tsukishima’s, their bright light burning fiery bright in the dim light of the moon. Tsukishima felt his hear flutter absently in his chest, felt his breathing pick up, his face heat up, and he smiled.

“It was.” Tsukishima muttered, leaning forward toward Yamaguchi, his beautiful eyes and face pulling Tsukishima in. Yamaguchi’s beautiful, calm expression turned rapidly to one of panic and he backed away from Tsukishima, ruining the moment with a single movement.

“Tsukki….” Yamaguchi whispered, fear evident in his eyes, his voice, his posture. Tsukishima mentally kicked himself for what felt like the millionth time in the past two months. He was stupid to try and make a move. Why would Yamaguchi love him? No one ever loved him, why was this beautiful man any different?

“Yamaguchi, will you be my model?” He found himself asking again without filter, not pausing to think that he was only going to upset Yamaguchi more. Which he did. The fear in Yamaguchi’s eyes turned to panic again and the smaller man stood up. Tsukishima’s eyes followed him, eating up his beautiful figure, the small bit of extra around his waist making Tsukishima long for him as his model. He was too perfect.

“Tsukki, you promised to stop asking.” Yamaguchi muttered, looking toward the ground as he said this, nervous hands wringing together absently. Tsukishima pushed himself carefully to his feet, attempting to catch Yamaguchi’s look.

“I can’t, Yamaguchi. You’re too beautiful.” Tsukishima finally said it aloud. It was clear it had caught Yamaguchi off guard, as his eyes snapped upward toward Tsukishima’s for a few seconds before diving away from him, dodging the look in Tsukishima’s eyes.

“I’m not, Tsukki. I’m not beautiful.” Yamaguchi muttered, turning away as he said it and heading down the small hill they had been sitting on toward the sidewalk surrounding the park. Not beautiful? Who had told Yamaguchi he wasn’t beautiful? Still, the way he moved and spoke and looked, Tsukishima knew better than to push.

“At least let me walk you home.” Tsukishima called, glad to see Yamaguchi freeze in the darkness. He gathered up the blanket and he walked Yamaguchi home in absolute silence. Even as he said goodbye, giving the blanket to Yamaguchi, he didn’t get to hear the beautiful voice again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: What holiday is in October?


	5. Halloween Hoodlums

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo convinces Tsukishima to go out to a Halloween party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deciding their costumes was so much fun! I may have projected a bit onto Yamaguchi and Kuroo. Tsukishima's costume it actually something my sister did once.

“C’mon, Tsukishima! It’s Halloween, for Pete’s sake! Dress up and come out with us!” Kuroo whined, banging lightly on Tsukishima’s bedroom door as if he couldn’t just walk in whenever he wanted. Tsukishima had locked himself away the instant he had returned home from classes so he could avoid what he knew was coming. 

“Have I ever dressed up for Halloween?” Tsukishima called back from his desk, clicking away at his laptop as he finished up the homework he had planned to work on. It was a dreary looking day, the clouds had been covering the sky since Tsukishima had woken up earlier that morning. He figured it was going to rain eventually and wanted to be inside when that happened. 

“Tsukishima, we’re going to a party and we don’t want to leave you out.” Bokuto’s voice joined Kuroo’s at the door, sounding much less whiny. Tsukishima knew Bokuto wanted to have as much fun as possible, and that often included dragging Tsukishima along to everything they did. Which never involved fun for Tsukishima, despite the activities having included more and more Yamaguchi lately. Ever since he tried to kiss Yamaguchi that night, Tsukishima had been avoiding him just a little, afraid he had ruined whatever they were developing. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t be left out.” Tsukishima called back, opening up youTube and preparing for a comfortable, quiet night in. Ever since the start of the semester, Tsukishima had very few nights to himself and he was more than looking forward to this one. It had been about two months since Tsukishima had seen Yamaguchi that day in the café and about a month since they had actually met. Since then, getting Tsukishima out of the house had only taken saying Yamaguchi’s name.

“C’mon, party pooper! Yamaguchi will be there!” Kuroo called and there was a slight hint of hesitation in the way Tsukishima typed onto his keys. Did he want to see Yamaguchi? More than anything. Did he trust himself to be cool around him? Not at all. Ever since the picnic, Tsukishima insisted on being around Yamaguchi whenever there were other people with him. Every single time someone planned out a night were they were basically on a massive group date, things went wrong. Tsukishima didn’t want to ruin yet another night out. 

“I think he can live one day without me.” Tsukishima called, attempting to sound sincere when he knew he wasn’t. If Yamaguchi could survive without Tsukishima, Tsukishima would surely die. Holding himself back from the beautiful man had been torture enough, living without him meant death. He wasn’t about to tell Kuroo or Bokuto this, though, since he would never live it down. 

Without hesitation, Kuroo burst into the room, quickly followed by Bokuto, who looked over Kuroo’s shoulder with anticipation. Tsukishima jumped at the sound, surprised Kuroo had actually entered his room. There seemed to be an unspoken rule between them that rooms were off limits unless otherwise said. It had been set not long into their first year together and Tsukishima found that, on occasion, Kuroo would break the rule.

“Tsukishima Kei you are in love with Yamaguchi and you will come with us to this Halloween party whether you want to or not.” Kuroo insisted, stamping his foot lightly as if putting his foot down like he was Tsukishima’s father. Tsukishima attempted to hide his blush behind a scrunched up cringe directed at Kuroo.

“I’m not in love with him.” Tsukishima protested, turning back to his laptop so he could ignore Kuroo. The black haired man wasn’t having any of this because he slammed the lid of Tsukishima’s laptop shut, making the blonde jump yet again and shoot a nasty look up to him. Kuroo stuck his tongue out as if to say ‘you won’t hate me for this later’ before grabbing the laptop, tossing it onto Tsukishima’s bed, and dragging Tsukishima to his feet. 

“Fine, but you at least like him. Even if you don’t want to admit it yet, just come with us. Hang out with him. Stop being broody and have some fun. It’s Halloween, for crying out loud!” Kuroo exclaimed, throwing his arms out to his sides for emphasis. Bokuto nodded insistently behind him, grinning like a child. 

Tsukishima looked between the two of them, Kuroo’s determination burning like a fire in his eyes. Bokuto looked more excited than anything and it pained Tsukishima that Akaashi would have to deal with a pouty child if he didn’t go. With a defeated sigh he threw his head back and rubbed his eyes from beneath his glasses.

“Fine. Fine, I’ll go! But I’m not wearing a costume.” Tsukishima agreed, earning a whoop from Kuroo and making Bokuto bounce from the room with excitement. The sound of Bokuto hopping about the living room could be heard from Tsukishima’s bedroom and the thumps from the angry apartment below them could be felt through the entire floor.

“At least try a small costume. Nothing too flashy, since I know that’s not your style.” Kuroo insisted, flinging an arm across Tsukishima’s shoulders and dragging him from the room. It had been years since the first time Kuroo had made this move and Tsukishima had long since given up avoiding it. Kuroo was going to sling an arm across his shoulders no matter how much Tsukishima hated it.

“No. The deal is no costume or I’m not coming.” Tsukishima muttered as they left his room, entering the living room where Bokuto was still grinning like an idiot. Without hesitation, the instant they entered the room, he seemed to remember something and dashed down the hallway toward the bathroom where the two could hear him shut the door with a slam. 

It was almost as if Bokuto lived with them. They were sure he would if the apartments allowed three to a place. Bokuto hadn’t been able to get a place with Akaashi, so he spent every waking moment bouncing between Akaashi’s place and Kuroo’s place. The difference between Akaashi’s place and Kuroo’s was that Kuroo’s had two people he knew and Akaashi’s roommate hated him.

“C’mon, Tsukishima. I’ve got one from a few years ago you’ll like.” Kuroo pressed, dragging Tsukishima down the hallway toward his room by the neck. Unable to fight back properly, Tsukishima followed reluctantly as they entered the mess Kuroo called a room.

There were clothes thrown everywhere and so much junk that it was impossible to tell if the place even had a floor. The bed was unmade and the blankets thrown haphazardly toward the end of it, pooling onto the floor. His desk was covered in clutter and the only empty space was right in the center where his laptop sat, as if it demanded respect and a clean space. 

It disgusted Tsukishima every time he saw it.

“I highly doubt that.” Tsukishima responded, crossing his arms when Kuroo let go to dig in his closet, which was the closest thing to organized that the room got. Clothes were hung up neatly along the bar below the top shelf but there were all sorts of items littering the floor beneath the various shirts and jackets. 

“No, trust me, you’ll love it.” Kuroo muttered, voice muffled from having his face buried in a wall of cloth. How he managed to live here, Tsukishima had no idea. It had been hard enough when they had first moved in together and Tsukishima had to deal with keeping the living room clean. Kuroo’s first year in college he had roomed with Bokuto so the place had been a constant mess and Kuroo’s switch to Tsukishima had been chaotic to say the least. 

All Tsukishima did as way of response was grunt and attempt to find some part of the room he could rest his eyes on. Lazily he pushed his glasses up his nose, staying in place just to humor Kuroo. There came a triumphant shout from the closet and Kuroo stood back up holding a wrinkled orange cloth. It looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in years.

“Here: wear this!” Kuroo exclaimed, turning quickly to display the t-shirt to Tsukishima. The thing was a wrinkled mess and there was what appeared to be a ketchup stain on the left shoulder. In large, black print the words ‘This is my costume. I’m a cat. Meow’ were displayed in the center of the shirt with a small black cat silhouette underneath them. Tsukishima couldn’t help but smirk at the absolute sarcasm dripping from the shirt. 

“First of all, when did you get that? I’ve known you since freshmen year of high school and I’ve never seen that before in my life.” Tsukishima started, recalling every previous Halloween they had ever spent together. Especially after Kuroo’s senior year, Tsukishima was sure he had seen every item of clothing Kuroo owned. “Second of all, that looks disgusting. I’m not wearing something that gross.” Tsukishima added, glaring at the shirt as if it had just been pulled from a garbage heap. It might as well have been, the state it was in. 

“I got it my freshmen year here.” Kuroo responded, picking his way across the floor toward Tsukishima, who flinched back slightly when the shirt came a little too close to his face. “We have two hours until the party, you can wash it.” Kuroo tagged on, holding it out toward Tsukishima as if offering to let him take it. 

“I visited you for that Halloween. You never wore it?” Tsukishima asked, recalling that year and the rather impressive pirate costume Kuroo had pulled off. The black haired man had worn an eye patch the whole night and had been a stumbling idiot, but he had made one sexy pirate.

“Nah, I never found a reason to.” Kuroo shrugged, offering the shirt for Tsukishima to take again. The blonde flinched backward, flicking his gold eyes between Kuroo and the shirt as if asking Kuroo if he was serious. 

“I’ll wear it if you wash it.” Tsukishima suggested, the look of disgust on his face evident as he looked around the rest of the room. “You have enough dirty clothes to wash with it, anyway.” Tsukishima had done his laundry only a couple of days ago and didn’t have nearly enough dirty items to wash with the shirt. As satisfying as rewashing clean clothes was, Kuroo needed the push more than Tsukishima. 

“Fine. I’ll wash it. Go see what Bo is doing, he’s been in the bathroom too long.” Kuroo muttered, picking up several other items off the floor to pile into his arms with the orange Halloween shirt. Obliging Kuroo’s request just for an excuse to leave the room, Tsukishima made his way down the hallway to where the bathroom door was shut, the light filtering beneath the door from the inside. 

Knocking on the door he listened for the grunt of acknowledgement before continuing. 

“Bokuto, you’ve been in there a while. What are you doing?” Tsukishima asked, not bothering to sound concerned at all. Bokuto did this a lot, disappearing into the bathroom for nearly an hour at a time. Kuroo always got worried for his friend, but Tsukishima could care less. 

“I wanted to try on my costume!” Bokuto called back, grunting again from the other side of the door before flinging it open to reveal his costume. He had a large dopey grin on his face and placed both hands on his hips to show the costume off.

“Kuroo said the part isn’t for another two hours.” Tsukishima pointed out, looking the costume up and down, realizing just how much it reflected the pirate costume Kuroo had worn years earlier. 

It was a wizard costume, but the robe was left open to reveal the black tunic and pants below, the v-neck of the shirt revealing the chiseled sharpness of Bokuto’s collarbone. The pants were tight near the top, billowing out as they reached the ankles where they grabbed with the elastic in them. Underneath the pants Bokuto had donned entirely black converse that added an oddly relatable factor. 

“I know, but I wanted to make sure it still fit.” Bokuto responded, not sounding offended. It was a reasonable explanation, but it still made no sense to Tsukishima, who voiced this confusion.

“You literally never lose or gain weight. How would it not fit?” Tsukishima asked, looking him up and down one more time, taking in the choker and the clip on cuff earring. The hat was a similar color to the robe and bent slightly backward as if it had been sat on. Bokuto’s wizard had a somewhat modern twist that looked really good with his appearance.

“I got this a couple of years ago and never had the chance to wear it. I’ve put on a lot of muscle since then, so I wanted to make sure it fit over that.” Bokuto responded, stepping out of the bathroom as he said this, pushing softly passed Tsukishima as he did so. “It’s a bit snug, but not uncomfortable.” Bokuto mused the last bit to himself, but Tsukishima had to refrain from telling Bokuto how good it looked on him. He had a boyfriend who would tell him such later. 

Speaking of Akaashi.

“What’s Akaashi going as?” Tsukishima asked, curious to know what the man had pulled off this time. Akaashi managed to make every costume he wore look good. The previous year he had gone as a black cat and that was the moment Bokuto had finally asked him to be his boyfriend. It had been rather amusing seeing the look on Bokuto’s face when Akaashi had walked into the room. 

“He’s going to be King Arthur.” Bokuto responded, turning to face Tsukishima, tugging lightly at his robe as if trying to get it to cover the front of his tunic. It wasn’t tight, like the tunic was, but rather baggy, like a robe.

“Wait, you’re supposed to be Merlin?” Tsukishima asked, surprised that Bokuto not only knew the tales but that he had attempted to make them into a costume and failed miserably. Bokuto huffed and crossed his arms defensively.

“Yes. Seeing as this is our first Halloween as an official couple, I wanted to do a couple costume.” Bokuto informed him. Tsukishima couldn’t help but let out a small laugh that was caught somewhere between a scoff and a cough making Bokuto attempt to defend his costume some more. It wasn’t necessary because Tsukishima had stopped listening and instead began to wonder what Yamaguchi would be wearing.

\----

Kuroo had returned to the apartment with the shirt and other clothing items an hour and a half later, praising Bokuto for his costume before hastily disappearing into his own bedroom to change. Tsukishima slipped his own shirt off and slid the one Kuroo had given him on, tugging at it awkwardly as he realized just how big it was on him. Despite being taller than Kuroo, even if just by a bit, Kuroo had more muscle and a larger build. Anything Kuroo owned was large on Tsukishima, even if it was from several years ago, apparently. 

Still, the shirt was the compromise they had made and Tsukishima was comfortable enough with wearing it alone as his costume. He pulled on a pair of jeans as a knock came from the front door. Merlin answered it without hesitation, boasting to Akaashi about his costume and complimenting his boyfriend. Tsukishima grabbed some socks and his shoes and made his way from the room to see what Akaashi was wearing. 

As always, he pulled it off without fail.

A plastic crown was placed delicately atop his head and he wore one of those fake red caps tied before his neck. His tunic was a bright white decorated with golden swirls mixed in with a bit of red, the red belt adding more of an accent. His black pants were loose all the way down to his knees where they were tucked into boots. 

“You look nice.” Tsukishima commented, knowing that he said the same thing every year. Akaashi always looked nice. Tsukishima’s first year in college he had even confessed to finding Akaashi attractive. The older man had politely declined Tsukishima and told him about the crush he had had on Bokuto for some time. They had been good friends ever since, but a part of Tsukishima still found Akaashi’s calm demeanor and beautiful eyes attractive. 

“Thank you, Tsukishima. I like your costume.” Akaashi responded, giving Tsukishima a sideways grin at the shirt. Tsukishima opened his arms to show it off completely, earning a small chuckle from Akaashi for it.

“Akaashi, did you bring the thing?” Bokuto asked, being eerily vague as Akaashi’s attention turned toward him. Akaashi nodded, the smile on his face widening just a bit as he grabbed for the backpack he had brought with him.

“I get why you wanted them, now.” Akaashi said as he pulled something black from the bag and handed them to Bokuto. Without warning the bird-like man jumped toward Tsukishima and slammed something down onto his head, making Tsukishima cringe slightly as his neck screamed from the force. 

“Bokuto, say something before you do that.” Tsukishima scolded, rubbing the back of his neck to work out the burning sensation that came with Bokuto’s action. He was distracted from the pain when he saw the look on Akaashi’s face go from content to bubbling giddiness. It was rare to see Akaashi like this and it threw Tsukishima off a bit until Kuroo entered the room and burst into laughter.

“Oh my gosh! Was this your idea, Bo?” He asked, turning toward Bo with a flourish, showing off his costume in the process. Tsukishima should have known Kuroo would wear that after the musical had just come out. Kuroo had been obsessed with it since the moment he had heard the first note. 

“What are you guys talking about?” Tsukishima asked as Bokuto nodded eagerly. The blonde reached his fingers toward his head, feeling a fuzzy headband sitting among the short locks of hair. As he fingered his way along the headband he felt his fingers run into something reaching up to feel the shape of a small triangle. Immediate realization hit him and he ripped the headband off to stare down at the fuzzy black cat ears.

“I said I’d only wear the shirt!” Tsukishima exclaimed, waving the headband at the three men who were now all laughing their heads off. Even Akaashi’s calm laughter was bubbling over the surface in a steady stream of hysteria. Tsukishima felt himself going red at the thought that he had been wearing the ears without realizing.

“C’mon, Tsukishima. Have a little fun. They don’t look bad and they complete the outfit.” Kuroo commented, wiping tears from his eyes as he finally calmed down. Bokuto nodded in agreement, his own laughter taking longer to die out. 

“Tsukishima, it doesn’t hurt to play around a little bit every once in a while.” Akaashi commented, grinning toward the blonde with that breath taking smile of his. Tsukishima sighed, having long since gotten over losing his breath at the look, but gave in nonetheless.

“Fine. I’ll wear them. But only for tonight.” Tsukishima grumbled, placing the cat ears back on his head with a small huff, earning a few lingering chuckles from Bokuto and Kuroo on the matter. 

“Maybe we can add a nose and whiskers?” Kuroo chuckled, attempting to whisper this into Bokuto’s ear but failing the whispering part. Bokuto didn’t help when he burst into laughter again, earning a glare from the very red face Tsukishima.

“The ears and the shirt! That’s it!” Tsukishima exclaimed, making both Bokuto and Kuroo fall into further fits of laughter. At this point, Akaashi was simply chuckling lightly at their antics, shaking his head at the way Bokuto and Kuroo teased Tsukishima.

“Come on, guys, we’re going to be late if we don’t leave now.” Akaashi pointed out and Kuroo looked at the time, immediately snapping out of his hysterical laughter. He appeared to change from hysterical to nervous in five seconds flat.

“Right! We don’t want to be late! Oh, wait, do I look good?” Kuroo asked, hastily grabbing everyone’s attention before they had a chance to start toward the door. The outfit was one Tsukishima had seen many times before and was pulled off well despite Kuroo’s college budget.

“You make a very convincing Hamilton.” Akaashi responded first, earning a massive grin from Kuroo. It made sense that Akaashi say something since he was the one every trusted the most. Tsukishima was the second most trustworthy, but sometimes Kuroo didn’t believe what he said because Tsukishima could lie just to get him off his back. Not that Tsukishima would lie about how Kuroo looked, he actually made a very convincing Alexander Hamilton. 

With a determined exclamation, Kuroo lead the way toward the door followed closely by Bokuto and Akaashi and then Tsukishima, who locked and closed the door behind them. 

The Halloween party was in one of the gyms in the fitness building and had been going for twenty minutes by the time they arrived. The lighting was low, but not dark like some of the parties usually held there. It allowed for the proper viewing of costumes as guests entered from one of the many doors situated about the room. 

There was a makeshift photo booth operated by a couple of students Tsukishima vaguely recognized from photography classes, though their costumes obstructed their faces a bit. On the floor there were a few games near the back and a long banquet table with desserts and snacks, including the ever classic bowl of punch. One bowl was labeled blood for the vampires in the room. 

The rest of the floor was left wide open for dancing and socializing and it took Tsukishima little time to find the bright orange head of hair he knew as Hinata Shouyou dancing about the floor. He could see Suga from where they entered as well, his silver hair sticking out among the darker hair colors littering the floor, but picking out the rest of the gang was impossible among the throng of dark colors. The group of four made it toward the floor, Kuroo and Bokuto with enthusiasm, Akaashi the only reason Bokuto didn’t sprint off toward the sight of Hinata the instant he spotted the small ball of energy.

By the time Akaashi, Bokuto, and Tsukishima reached the group Kuroo had already located Kenma. The smaller man was wearing green clothes Tsukishima recognized as Link’s outfit from the games. He had never played them, but the outfit was unmistakable. Bokuto and Akaashi made a beeline for Suga and Daichi who were dressed as a flower and a bee. It was uncreative and amusing to say the least. 

Hinata stood out a bit with his simple costume, a black and orange uniform sporting a large number 10 on the front and back. Kageyama had gone classic with his black cape, white shirt, and fake blood dripping from fake teeth. He appeared to be in the middle of telling Hinata something when the little ball of energy shouted over him about the song that had just started playing. 

“You look great, Tsukki!” The shout came from somewhere behind him, but Tsukishima knew exactly who it was before turning around. As soon as he had spun around completely he was met with the beautiful face of Yamaguchi. It was red from dancing and the heat of the crowd but his freckles seemed to glow in the low lighting of the gym. Tsukishima smiled, genuinely glad to see Yamaguchi, even if he was sure he was going to ruin this night like he had all the others.

“Thanks. Who are you supposed to be?” Tsukishima asked, eyeing the lengthy red coat Yamaguchi was wearing and the black shirt and pants with the finishing black boots. He wore white gloves to complete the look and the outfit was vaguely familiar to the blonde, but he couldn’t place it. 

“I’m Edward Elric.” Yamaguchi informed him, spreading his arms out as much as he could with all the people around them. When Tsukishima twisted his face in confusion Yamaguchi explained further. “From Fullmetal Alchemist?” His explanation came out as more a question, but the title was familiar.

“Isn’t than an anime?” Tsukishima asked, recalling having heard the name before on Tumblr. He wasn’t really into anything fandom related, but these things popped up on occasion since he followed Kuroo and Bokuto on Tumblr as well. 

“Yeah! It’s only the best anime ever!” Yamaguchi exclaimed, grinning widely at Tsukishima as he said this. It was a surprise, to say the least, that this beautiful young man was obsessed with anime. Tsukishima had gone his whole life avoiding most fandoms just to keep himself from looking weird, but right at that moment, nerdy hadn’t looked so attractive.

“I’ve never seen it.” Tsukishima admitted, suddenly feeling embarrassed to be saying this. In any other situation he would have admitted this freely, not at all embarrassed to say he had never watched an anime. Yet, here he was, admitting he hadn’t seen it while avoiding looking into Yamaguchi’s eyes.

“Really? Then you definitely should! It’s a good one and I think you might like it.” Yamaguchi responded, grinning calmly at this. Tsukishima was a little surprised at the response he had gotten, he knew most people who were obsessed with a certain fandom acted as if not seeing it was a sin. But Yamaguchi just recommended it without shouting about how Tsukishima hadn’t lived. 

“I guess I’ll give it a shot.” Tsukishima responded, smiling lightly, glad to be having a normal conversation with Yamaguchi despite the subject. He hadn’t thought that he would learn something like this about Yamaguchi, but it was an oddly pleasant surprise. Yamaguchi wasn’t just a beautiful art student, he was a very human nerd. Recalling the way he denied his beauty to Tsukishima a week ago reminded Tsukishima just how human Yamaguchi was and he felt himself melting. 

Maybe Kuroo was right, he really did like Yamaguchi. 

“So, who’s Hinata supposed to be?” Tsukishima asked, turning toward the rest of the group where Hinata could be found facing Kageyama with the biggest of grins on his face. Kageyama appeared to be stuttering over his words as the conversation progressed, unheard from where Tsukishima and Yamaguchi stood. It was still gross to think those two were into each other, but Yamaguchi was happy with it. 

“His favorite character from his volleyball anime he watches. I haven’t started it, so I have no idea who he is.” Yamaguchi responded with a shrug as Hinata jumped with joy at something, causing Kageyama to flinch backward to avoid getting chest slammed by the smaller man. 

“Huh.” Tsukishima didn’t feel nearly as interested in Hinata’s costume as Yamaguchi’s, but the realization that they both liked anime was actually not that big of a surprise. They were best friends, after all. “He wouldn’t be very good at volleyball, he’s too short.” Tsukishima muttered as he watched Hinata jump again, this time his shoulders rising above Kageyama’s head in an impressive show of leg power. 

“Yeah, but the show makes him really pumped and he keeps saying he wants to try playing.” Yamaguchi responded with a fond laugh toward his best friend. It was really clear how close they were with the way Yamaguchi watched his interactions with Kageyama, the taller man joining in Hinata’s enthusiastic exclamations with some overjoyed words of his own. 

“That would be amusing to watch.” Tsukishima muttered with a smirk and a small laugh, making Yamaguchi throw a light fist at his shoulder out of amusement, laughing as well.

“Don’t be so mean, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he did so, the genuine joy revealed in the way his eyes squished shut. Tsukishima found himself hypnotized by the way Yamaguchi looked for a second before recalling the fact that he was trying not to ruin whatever their relationship was. 

“I’m just saying, he would be awful at it.” Tsukishima responded with a small matter-of-fact expression. Yamaguchi couldn’t help but laugh at Tsukishima’s comment and the night drew on in this same manner. The group danced around the room, Hinata dragging Kageyama over to the games after Tsukishima had been there for an hour. 

Kuroo and Bokuto joined them to show off their superior Halloween game powers, Akaashi cheering Bokuto on occasionally just to see the enthusiastic expression Bokuto put on when he did. Kenma gave Kuroo words of encouragement before the black haired man dunked his head into the apple bobbing bin, but said little the rest of the games.

Tsukishima watched from the sidelines as Daichi joined in, not bothering to even give it a go. There was no way he was shoving his face into a bin full of water and apples and other people’s saliva or trying to eat a donut off a string. Darts was a little more reasonable, but he still didn’t feel like trying to play a game he didn’t care that much about.

Kuroo and Bokuto competed with Kageyama and Hinata without deciding they would be on teams. Hinata was unable to catch an apple, his mouth was too small to properly get a grip without using his hands. However, he was oddly amazing at darts and managed to hit three balloons with his three tries, earning him three small prizes or a medium prize from the prizes at a table nearby.

The donut on a string contest was close, Kageyama coming in first by a hair to Hinata and Bokuto, who tied with Kuroo dead last. There was a magnetic, rolling whiteboard by the darts board where someone had tapped a picture of a ghost. Small papers were stacked on the marker holder and several ‘boo’s’ were pinned to the board. It was amusing watching Kageyama stumble in the complete opposite of the board and attempt to slap the boo onto the snack table.

Hinata was able to find the board without hesitation but his boo was way off. It turned out that Daichi was the victor at this game and so it came out as a tie between the two teams. That left the victor’s as Hinata and Kageyama with two wins against Bokuto and Kuroo’s one.

“There has to be another game we can play.” Kuroo muttered, trying to think up a way to get more points for him and Bokuto. Hinata and Kageyama were celebrating their win by combining their prize tickets to get a single large prize. Tsukishima wasn’t sure how that was going to work out, since none of the prizes were foods and there was no way they could split an inflatable beach ball. 

“We could just call it a night and head back to the apartment.” Akaashi suggested, yawning lazily into his hand as he said this. Bokuto put an arm around his shoulder and kissed his forehead, earning a small smile from Akaashi who closed his eyes and leaned into Bokuto.

“What if we go trick-or-treating? Whoever gets the most candy wins!” Bokuto suggested and there was a small groan from Akaashi beside him. Tsukishima couldn’t help but scoff at the suggestion, knowing already that Hinata’s team would win hands down.

“That’s a great idea! We get candy out of it too!” Kuroo exclaimed, clapping his hands loudly with enthusiasm to punctuate his joy. This made Kenma jump and, as Kuroo apologized, Suga and Daichi stepped in.

“We’re going to call it a night. It was nice hanging out with you guys, but we’ve got somewhere to be tomorrow morning.” Suga said earning several waves and goodbyes from the group. Hinata and Kageyama showed up right after Suga and Daichi left and Kuroo told them the plan.

“Really? This is going to be easy. Are there any rules?” Hinata asked, slipping the crown of flowers he was holding onto his head. Was that the prize they had chosen? How lame, Tsukishima thought, turning back to Kuroo who appeared to be thinking.

“We have to go to the same amount of houses. The goal is to see how much candy we can get from just being us.” Kuroo explained and Tsukishima couldn’t help but laugh a little at this, Yamaguchi following suit but hiding his laugh behind a hand. 

“Good, then I need to stop by my place really quick. I want to change costumes.” Hinata said, grinning broadly before skipping toward the exit. Kuroo shrugged, voicing how he wasn’t concerned about this decision at all. If Hinata wanted to change, then he could change. Tsukishima followed behind everyone as they left the gym, only tagging along to see what Hinata had planned.

He and Yamaguchi fell behind as Hinata and Kageyama lead the group to the apartment complex where Hinata lived, Kuroo and Bokuto planning out their attack while Akaashi and Kenma walked side by side silently. 

“Any idea what Hinata has in mind?” Tsukishima asked absently as they dropped further behind, their pace not fast enough to keep up completely with the rest of the group. Yamaguchi nodded and grinned.

“Last year he was a black cat for Halloween. He broke the headband, but he still has the black onsie.” Yamaguchi responded and Tsukishima couldn’t help but snort at this. Hinata had not only been a black cat the same year Akaashi had, but he had worn a black onsie for it? That had to be ridiculous to look at. Then it hit him.

“I thought Hinata and Kageyama would have this in the bag but now there’s not even any competition.” Tsukishima muttered, watching as the group turned a corner. They turned the same corner in time to see Hinata sprint across a parking lot toward the apartment complex where he and Yamaguchi lived. Kageyama jogged lightly behind him but didn’t go into the apartment when Hinata disappeared inside, despite the ginger having left the door open.

“Yep. Hinata not only passes for a grad schooler or middle schooler depending on the person, but the cat costume kills it.” Yamaguchi agreed, grinning proudly as if Hinata’s idea to change costumes was a brilliant one. Sure, it had been smart on Hinata’s part of play off his size, but Tsukishima didn’t think it was brilliant. 

As they approached the group Yamaguchi’s face lit up with realization and he stopped to turn to Tsukishima, who froze where he was to collect himself. Yamaguchi’s expression was beautiful and Tsukishima had to hold himself together.

“You should let Hinata borrow your headband!” Yamaguchi exclaimed, looking up toward the top of Tsukishima’s head as he said this. Tsukishima, surprised, reached up to feel where the cat ears were sitting on his head. He had almost forgotten he was wearing them.

“They’re not mine, they’re Akaashi’s.” Tsukishima responded, pulling them off his head to look them over. They were rather tight on his own head, probably made for smaller heads like Hinata’s. But they weren’t his to freely give away. 

“Akaashi!” Yamaguchi turned without hesitation toward Akaashi, enthusiasm not put out by addressing the man he had barely ever spoken to. Tsukishima watched with surprise written all over his face as Yamaguchi explained what Hinata was probably doing and then asked to borrow Akaashi’s headband. The narrow eyed man smiled and laughed, nodding his head lightly. 

“There, now Hinata’s sure to win!” Yamaguchi exclaimed right as Hinata came out of the apartment, shutting the door and locking it behind him. Tsukishima couldn’t help but laugh when he did so, because he looked downright ridiculous but it was Kageyama’s face that made him really laugh. 

The vampire, despite his pale face makeup, was red from the base of his neck all the way to his cheek bones, face virtually a tomato ripe off the vine. Hinata appeared to be saying something to Kageyama but the taller man was frozen in place, mouth slightly agape as he looked at Hinata in the baggy little onsie. Once Hinata finished speaking and didn’t get a response, he turned to look up at Kageyama and repeat what he had said causing Kageyama to snap from his stupor.

“Hinata! Here, use these!” Yamaguchi called as Hinata and Kageyama approached the group, Hinata scolding Kageyama for being an idiot as the taller man followed, still hyper fixated on Hinata’s outfit. 

“Are those Tsukishima’s cat ears? This is perfect!” Hinata exclaimed, grinning like a maniac as he removed the flower crown still on his head to place the ears there instead. “Here, Bakageyama, you wear the crown for now.” Hinata said, jumping slightly to place the crown on top of Kageyama’s head. 

Hinata’s silly outfit was officially complete and the looks of pure horror on Bokuto and Kuroo’s faces said it all. They knew they would lose.

Lose they did.

After Hinata had decided he was fine he pulled out a pillowcase for grabbing candy. Kuroo and Bokuto asked Akaashi to borrow his backpack, which really had nothing in it anyway. After removing the small things it had been holding, the gang set off to check out houses nearby.

Hinata altered his voice slightly to sound child-like and then would ask for extra candy because him and his vampire friend were sharing a bag. This was successful enough to get Hinata four times the candy a single kid would normally get. Most of what Kuroo and Bokuto got were disgruntled adults asking them how old they were and telling them that they shouldn’t be going trick or treating.

Needless to say, by the end of the night, Hinata had trouble carrying his back and Kuroo had enough room for Akaashi to replace his things into the bag as they headed back to the apartments. 

As they walked, Tsukishima trailed behind the group with Yamaguchi, this familiar pattern comfortable to him. Hinata and Kageyama were at the front as usual, Kageyama not carrying the bag, the flower crown back on Hinata’s head as the smaller man skipped along beside Kageyama, who was still taken by Hinata’s outfit. 

Kuroo walked with Kenma instead of Bokuto this time around, complaining about how unfair the fight had been as Kenma muttered reassurance, pointing out that challenging Hinata to a trick-or-treat contest was a stupid idea in the first place. Kuroo hesitantly laced his fingers through Kenma’s fingers halfway home but the smaller man didn’t flinch or pull away, instead opting for looking at the ground nervously, Kuroo’s grin visible even from the back of his head.

Akaashi and Bokuto walked just before Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, hand on hand without shame. Bokuto whined about how unfair the whole thing had been and Akaashi didn’t fail to constantly remind him how it had been unfair from the start. 

Tsukishima glanced down at Yamaguchi who was grinning broadly the way he did when he was content. It was a beautiful look and Tsukishima knew he could sustain himself on that look for the rest of his life if he had to. 

As they turned a corner the small feeling of a raindrop startled Tsukishima until he looked up at the sky to find the stars blacked out by the dark clouds. Slowly the rain began to fall harder until they were suddenly caught in a downpour.

Hinata and Kageyama at the front were the first to start running, picking up their pace until they were sprinting ahead of everyone. Kuroo urged Kenma to begin running as well until they were trailing slowly behind Hinata and Kageyama. Bokuto laughed and dragged Akaashi along with him, the shorter man laughing along as well.

“We should probably get out of the rain.” Tsukishima suggested, squinting through rain speckled glasses. There wasn’t even a response before Yamaguchi began to sprint ahead of him, laughing as he flung his arms out to his sides with glee. Tsukishima jogged lightly behind him, smiling at the back of his head at the beautiful laughter Yamaguchi was letting out.

They made it to Kuroo’s apartment shortly after, all of them standing in the entrance to the apartment soaking wet as Tsukishima unlocked the door and let them all spilling in. Bokuto and Akaashi laughed quietly as Kuroo and Tsukishima disappeared into their bedrooms and grabbed towels. As they came back out they found that they were missing Kageyama and Hinata, who must have sprinted back to their own apartments. 

“Take off your wet stuff. I can get some dry clothes if you guys want.” Kuroo suggested, gesturing to his bedroom as he handed towels to Bokuto and Akaashi, offering one to Kenma last. Akaashi and Bokuto removed their robes and dropped them into the kitchen where they wouldn’t drip on the carpet of the living room. Yamaguchi removed the long red cape and his wet gloves, positively glowing with the energy of the run. 

“Kuroo, I don’t think anyone wants any of your clothes.” Tsukishima muttered, handing Yamaguchi a towel and watching, entranced, as Yamaguchi dried his hair with it. 

“I think we’re fine, Kuroo. Bo and I will just head to his place since it’s so close anyway.” Akaashi responded, handing the towel back to Kuroo after drying his hair a bit with it. Kuroo took both his and Bo’s before suggesting they take his umbrella before dashing back to his room to get it. 

They all waved their goodbyes to Akaashi and Bokuto as they left, the silence taking over the living room nearly deafening. Kuroo turned to Kenma to ask him the same question when he was cut off by a sneeze coming from Yamaguchi. 

“Are you alright?” Tsukishima asked, watching as the smaller man drew the towel down his face, groaning from the sensation the sneeze left behind. 

“I’m fine.” Yamaguchi responded, not at all convincing. Tsukishima clicked his tongue as Kenma stepped forward and looked Yamaguchi in the face.

“I think you have a cold. You need dry clothes.” Kenma pointed out, pressing a hand to Yamaguchi’s now dry forehead. Kuroo smiled, grabbing Tsukishima’s shoulder.

“C’mon, Tsukishima. I’ll get something for Kenma and you get something for Yamaguchi. Then we can walk them home.” Kuroo suggested, disappearing toward his room before Tsukishima could say anything. He did as Kuroo suggested, disappearing into his own room to grab the smallest shirt and pants he could find. His legs were far longer than Yamaguchi’s so there was no way they would actually fit properly, so he grabbed a pair of sweats with a string so he could at least get it to fit his waist.

“Go ahead and get changed.” Kuroo was saying, pointing Kenma to the bathroom as Tsukishima came from his room with his own clothes for an offering. 

“Kuroo, how are we walking them home? I only have one umbrella and you just gave yours away.” Tsukishima pointed out, handing Yamaguchi the clothes he had grabbed, trying very hard not to turn red at the idea of Yamaguchi wearing his clothes.

“I always have two umbrellas because I tend to lose one of them every year.” Kuroo stated as if this was something to be proud of. Tsukishima rolled his eyes as Kenma came from the bathroom wearing clothes that were far too large on him. Yamaguchi disappeared into the back to do the same and Kuroo and Tsukishima both disappeared into their rooms to change as well.

Once everyone was dry and in dry clothing, Kuroo grabbed an umbrella that was far larger than the one he had handed off to Bokuto. Tsukishima’s umbrella was barely big enough for both him and Yamaguchi but he sacrificed his shoulder so Yamaguchi’s cold wouldn’t get worse.

They walked in silence the whole way to the apartment building, splitting from Kuroo and Kenma when Kenma pointed out he lived in a different building than Hinata and Yamaguchi. The silence slowly became awkward as Tsukishima realized he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what. Yamaguchi had asked for a jacket to add to his dry ensemble and was currently burying himself into it as if the deeper he went the warmer he would be. 

Tsukishima held the wet costume in a bag so Yamaguchi had his arms free to hug himself for body warmth. Despite this, Yamaguchi was still clinging to Tsukishima’s side as close as he could manage, the feeling of him rubbing up against Tsukishima making Tsukishima turn red. Not only was Yamaguchi wearing his clothes, he was pressed against his side.

He was thankful when they finally reached Yamaguchi’s apartment complex and stopped before his door.

“Um, you can just give those back whenever you want. There’s no hurry.” Tsukishima informed him awkwardly, handing him the bag with the costume in it. Yamaguchi nodded and gave Tsukishima a small smile, his red face now making more sense because of the cold.

“Thanks, Tsukki. You go home and get warm. I’ll be fine.” Yamaguchi said, grabbing Tsukishima’s arm and giving it a reassuring squeeze before opening the apartment and stepping inside. The door shut behind him and all Tsukishima was left with was the feeling of Yamaguchi’s hand on his arm and the muffled sounds of an excited Hinata on the other side of the door.

“I didn’t ruin it.” Tsukishima muttered to himself, realization hitting him like a brick wall. Slowly a grin crossed his face as he thought this over in his head a million times on the walk home. He had managed to keep the night normal and he hadn’t tried any awkward moves that would scare Yamaguchi off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Guess who comes to visit?


	6. Hidden Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima learns something new about Yamaguchi....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally did it! Haha! After almost a month! I did it! Alright, so, a heads up! I am now at school and the last couple of weeks have been me getting used to my schedule and settling into homework mode. I think I finally have the swing of things, so I'm going to try for a chapter every other week, but there can be no promises. But! I will never abandon this fic, I promise! Please, bear with me!

It was early in the morning on a Saturday. October has come and gone as if it had only been a day, the leaves falling off the branches of the trees outside and the air picking up the bitter chill of coming winter. After the Halloween party, Yamaguchi had caught a small cold that lasted him about a week, but wasn’t enough to stop him from attending classes or showing up at Karasuno. Tsukishima made sure he was taking good care of himself the whole time, but Yamaguchi had insisted he was fine.

Life had returned to normal pretty quickly after the Halloween party, though Kuroo spent more of his time out of the house, presumably with Kenma, which meant Bokuto spent more time at Akaashi’s place. As much fun as Tsukishima was, Bokuto had always preferred Kuroo’s company.

It was nearly a week after the party had happened, a chilly Saturday morning where the sun still shone brightly, filtering through the closed blinds of the sleepy bedroom window. Tsukishima slept soundly, not having to wake up for another several hours, enjoying the sleeping in aspect of the weekend.

Lazy morning light spilled into his room when a sudden banging sound could be heard from the living room. Rolling over, Tsukishima groaned at the ceiling and dragged his hands down his face in exasperation. Bokuto hadn’t stayed the night like he usually did on weekends, so it was possible that was him. It was more likely it wasn’t, though, since Bokuto was as much of a morning person as Kuroo was. 

The banging came again, but Tsukishima simple rolled over and covered his head with his pillow. Whoever it was would go away if no one answered. Knowing Kuroo, there was no way he was going to answer that. After several minutes, the banging ceased and the apartment fell into a soothing calm. Tsukishima sighed into his pillow, feeling his body drift off to sleep once more. 

“Kei!” The bedroom door shot open with a bang as some boisterously loud man burst into the room with an enthusiastic exclamation of Tsukishima’s name. There was no mistaking who the voice belonged to, he did this a lot when Tsukishima didn’t wake up on time back home. Groaning audibly, Tsukishima turned over and threw his pillow off his face, blinding himself immediately by the light illuminating his room. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Tsukishima groaned, looking over at the tall man who was in the process of pulling the blinds wide open. His light brown hair almost blended in with his well tanned skin and brown jacket. Akiteru had always been like a sepia photograph, becoming darker skinned every spring and summer when he participated in outdoor volleyball tournaments. 

“I can’t visit my brother?” Akiteru asked with too much pep in his voice. The other Tsukishima had done this quite frequently, popping in for unannounced visits all the time. This had been the first time, however, that he had entered the apartment without being invited in.

“Not at this hour.” Tsukishima groaned, pushing himself into a seated position as Akiteru flung himself near his brother’s feet. The older man nearly squished Tsukishima’s toes flat, but missed them by a hair when the younger pulled back.

“C’mon, Kei, I haven’t visited yet this year. You should be happy to see me.” Akiteru pouted, turning his head so he was looking right into Tsukishima’s eyes. Most people didn’t know Tsukishima and Akiteru were brothers until someone told them, and every time it was a surprise. Akiteru’s well tanned skin, light brown hair, and dark brown eyes were a stark contrast to Kei’s ghostly pale skin, blonde hair, and golden eyes. Most people only knew they were brothers because Akiteru was the only one who ever called him Kei. 

“How did you get in, anyway?” Kei asked, turning away from Akiteru to push himself off the bed and toward his dresser. Akiteru followed him with his eyes, still pouting slightly about the fact that Tsukishima hadn’t said he was happy to see him. Tsukishima would never admit it, but he loved his brother despite his very energetic attitude toward life. 

“Kuroo gave me a key.” Akiteru responded as Tsukishima rummaged through his drawers looking for something to wear. It wasn’t hard, since everything was folded and cleaned, but Tsukishima still took his time digging. He paused for a quick moment to groan when Akiteru admitted to Kuroo giving him a key.

“Why the hell did he give you a key?” Tsukishima asked, not really wanting to know the answer. Kuroo probably gave Akiteru a key just for the sake of giving him a key. Bokuto had a key, but he never used it. The key was for emergency purposes and Bokuto had yet to find an emergency big enough to need to use his key. On the other hand, Akiteru had used his key to get in just because it was the butt crack of dawn and no one was answering the door. Kuroo was so stupid sometimes.

“In case of emergencies.” Akiteru responded, not specifying what kind of emergencies he was going to need the key for. That was also something Kuroo would do. Who needed a reason besides ‘for emergencies’? Apparently not Tsukishima, even though he knew giving Akiteru a key was a bad idea. Kuroo probably thought it was okay because, if Akiteru abused the key privilege, at least he wouldn’t be bugging Kuroo. 

“Of course.” Tsukishima muttered, pulling a shirt out of the drawer and trading his pajama shirt for it. During winter months, Tsukishima often slept in sweatpants and any random T-shirt that was too old to wear in public. Warmer months called for the classic boxer pajama set, which consisted of nothing but his boxers. Luckily, it was nearing winter and Tsukishima was at least partially dressed when Akiteru stepped in. 

Even if they were brothers, Tsukishima felt the need for privacy around just about everyone. Especially Kuroo and Akiteru, but, alas, it was impossible requesting privacy from the two most nosy people in the world. It didn’t help that they were the most comfortable around Tsukishima, having known him the longest of all Tsukishima’s friends.

“So, do you have any plans for today?” Akiteru asked as Tsukishima pulled the new shirt over his head and proceeded to dig through the drawers for his jeans. Every time Akiteru came over he expected to spend the entire day with Tsukishima. Half the time that ended up being true, especially when Kuroo was dragged into it. The other half of the time Tsukishima managed to kick him out halfway through the day so he could get his homework done. 

“Homework, as usual.” Tsukishima muttered in response, finding his jeans and pulling his sweats off. He had learned long ago that kicking his brother out of his room while he was changing was nearly impossible to do. He had managed to convince Kuroo to stay out of his room when he was changing and the older man actually avoided the bathroom when he knew Tsukishima occupied it. 

“Why don’t I take you out for coffee and breakfast?” Akiteru suggested, standing up as Tsukishima buttoned his pants and pulled his shirt over the waistline. Akiteru had been to Karasuno several times and enjoyed the atmosphere of the place almost as much as Tsukishima did. Akiteru almost always found a reason to go to the café whenever he visited. Tsukishima actually didn’t mind because he loved it as well.

“Yeah, fine, as long as you’re paying.” Tsukishima muttered, bending back toward his drawers to grab a pair of socks. Akiteru beamed at this agreement and almost jumped for joy but refrained so he wouldn’t wake up the neighbors. 

“Awesome! It’s been a while since I last stopped by Karasuno.” Akiteru said, grinning from ear to ear like a kid that had been promised a trip to Disneyland. Tsukishima rolled his eyes as Akiteru exited the room, rambling on and on about something. Tsukishima had stopped listening the instant Akiteru had started talking, grabbing a pair of shoes and a jacket from his closet before slipping both on and joining Akiteru in the living room. 

The brunette was still talking but Tsukishima ignored what he said. The walk to Karasuno was filled with Akiteru’s mindless babble, his enthusiasm too great for early in the morning. Tsukishima didn’t pay much attention to what he said as they crossed the Karasuno parking lot and entered the café. The instant they were inside, Akiteru stopped talking and grinned, breathing in the smell of coffee and cakes.

“Tsukishima, you’re here early for a Saturday.” Ukai called from the front, ducking immediately below the counter to grab something before noticing Akiteru. Hinata popped his head out from the back room and grinned broadly at the sight of the older Tsukishima brother.

“Hey, Akiteru! It’s been so long!” Hinata called, coming from the back room completely, carrying a small bag of beans and a tray of pastries which he placed on the display case before dropping the beans behind the counter. Ukai popped back up the moment Hinata disappeared, grinning broadly, presumably at the sound of Akiteru’s name.

“Aki! It’s been too long! How have you been?” Ukai asked, offering a hand to shake for Akiteru as soon as they neared the counter. Akiteru took it and the two shook firmly, grinning like children meeting for the first time in months. Akiteru basically was a child, but Tsukishima had to admit, Ukai was much more mature than his brother. 

“I’ve been pretty good. Life’s going slowly with nothing to do.” Akiteru responded as Hinata slid the tray of goodies into the display case and disappeared into the back room to drop off the tray. Ukai and Akiteru immediately fell into friendly chatter that was far too awake for the early hour of the morning. Tsukishima watched them with disinterest; having lost it the instant Ukai had asked Akiteru about life. 

Tsukishima observed the empty space that was Karasuno at the early hour on a Saturday. It was kind of sad how empty it was, a couple of people sitting on opposite ends of the room being the only occupants besides the four at the counter. As he observed, he leaned back against the display case, waiting patiently for Akiteru to finally start ordering drinks so they could sit down and get this visit thing over with. 

“Hey, Tsukishima. Yamaguchi’s coming by later. We were going to go see a movie, so he was going to do his homework in here while he waited for my shift to end.” Hinata whispered this over the counter, almost making Tsukishima jump in the process. Akiteru and Ukai were still caught up in their conversation, so Tsukishima deemed himself safe to turn around at this news.

“Why do I care?” Tsukishima asked, pretending he wasn’t super pumped to hear that Yamaguchi was going to be in the café eventually. After Halloween, their relationship had seemed to level out to friends, which was something Tsukishima was determined to keep for as long as possible. However, he was still smitten by the man’s appearance, and he wanted to keep this a secret from as many people as possible. Which was going to be really hard, since most of his friends already knew.

“Because you like them.” Hinata muttered back, puffing his cheeks in the way he did when he was disgruntled. It was an extremely common expression when Kageyama was around, but Tsukishima had caught the black haired student looking at Hinata with fondness when he made that face. It was kind of gross.

“Whatever.” Tsukishima huffed back, turning around and holding his expression of pure ‘no b.s.’ until Hinata turned around with a huff of annoyance. Tsukishima was still waiting for Akiteru to start ordering when the door to Karasuno opened and Yamaguchi walked in, looking absolutely amazing, as always. It never seemed to cross his mind to ask Hinata why they were seeing a movie so early in the morning, he was just glad to see Yamaguchi. 

The shorter man approached the counter, grinning broadly when he saw Tsukishima standing where he was headed. The brunette made an almost obvious beeline for Tsukishima, still grinning when he finally came to a stop.

“Tsukki! I’m glad you’re here. I finally got over the cold completely!” Yamaguchi boasted, drawing the attention of both Akiteru and Ukai as he spoke. Ukai smiled at their exchange, laughing slightly when Tsukishima turned a light shade of pink. Akiteru’s expression was incredulousness and disbelief. Tsukishima had a new friend? And he hadn’t heard about him?

“That’s great. I’m glad you’re okay.” Tsukishima responded, unaware that Ukai had gone back to checking the register and the shelves beneath it while Akiteru watched Tsukishima, his expression unchanging. Tsukishima really was glad Yamaguchi was okay, the cold had seemed absolutely miserable, but it was kind of embarrassing for Yamaguchi to come right up to him and say something like that without hesitation. 

“I am too. I was having so much trouble breathing when I slept.” Yamaguchi pouted, the expression making Tsukishima turn another shade darker as he watched Yamaguchi’s lower lip jut out. Drawing his gaze from the brunette’s lips with some force, he made eye contact with Yamaguchi as Hinata reappeared out of nowhere.

“Yamaguchi! Are you ready for the movie!?” Hinata’s energy overtook the conversation and Yamaguchi moved around Tsukishima so he could talk directly to Hinata. It was in this moment that Tsukishima turned to see if Ukai and Akiteru were still talking, to find the wide eyed look of his brother instead. 

“What?” Tsukishima asked, trying his hardest not to blush even more from the look. It was a familiar look, one he had gotten a few times from Akiteru before. Whenever Tsukishima was smitten with someone, this was the look he got. He never had to tell Akiteru if he liked the person, Akiteru always knew. The expression always started off as disbelief and then surprise and then pure joy. Akiteru’s face was slowly shifting from disbelief to joy as Tsukishima turned to Ukai, who had reappeared above the counter.

“Can I get the usual, Ukai?” Tsukishima asked, turning Akiteru’s attention toward ordering as he left the counter to find a place to sit. He didn’t want to hear it from Akiteru because he had been hearing it from everyone else for two months. Ever since he had first seen Yamaguchi, everyone had been on his case for being in ‘love’ with the man. Nope, no way, he was not going to hear that from Akiteru.

With a thump, Tsukishima landed in a seat at a booth near a window, enough room for Akiteru across from him any maybe a couple of other people. Not that anyone else would be joining them. 

It took little time before Akiteru plopped into the booth across from Tsukishima, his expression now set on that stupid, sugary sweet joy that came third before he exploded on Tsukishima. Tsukishima was ready for the attack and the impending embarrassment when Akiteru let out a deep sigh with a grin plastered onto his face and then leaned forward.

“You like him?” Akiteru asked, the enthusiasm still evident in his tone, despite the low volume he was maintaining. This was a rather pleasant surprise, normally Akiteru would scream at Tsukishima whenever this came up. At least he had the decency to keep his voice low and not freak out everyone else in the café.

“We’re just friends.” Tsukishima muttered, still embarrassed despite Akiteru’s ability to keep his voice low. It was annoying enough when Kuroo brought it up with him, Akiteru discussing it with him wasn’t necessary.

“C’mon, Kei! I saw the way you looked at him. It’s the same way you looked at-“ Akiteru cut off when something caught his eye, his head whipping in the direction of whatever he saw. Tsukishima couldn’t help but follow his gaze to find Yamaguchi coming right up to them. He slid easily into the spot beside Tsukishima and placed his bag at the ground near his feet. 

“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Yamguchi.” The brunette offered a hand for Akiteru to shake and the older Tsukishima took without hesitation. Akiteru didn’t even try hiding the curiosity in his expression as he greeted Yamaguchi.

“Tsukishima Akiteru. I’m Kei’s older brother.” Akiteru responded, earning a wide eyed look from Yamaguchi. The brunette turned to Kei with the same surprised look, but as he turned away Tsukishima could have sworn he saw a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Really? I had no idea Tsukki had an older brother.” Yamaguchi responded, dropping his hand back toward the table as their handshake ended. Akiteru gave Kei a disappointed look and suddenly Tsukishima felt like he was no more than an object. Yamaguchi and Akiteru threw him looks throughout their conversation, surprise and shock and amusement mixed in with all the emotions at once. It felt like ages before the conversation was cut short by the shout of both Akiteru and Yamaguchi’s names from across the room. 

“Drinks are ready.” Ukai called, holding up two drinks beside Hinata, who was stretching as high as he could to hold up Yamaguchi’s cup as well. There were small plates on the top of the clear display case where small pastries sat, ready to accompany the drinks. Tsukishima felt his entire body relax as Yamaguchi and Akiteru both stood up to grab their food and drinks. He had about ten seconds before they were back, so he took as much of that time as he could collecting himself. 

Before he knew it, they were back, and their conversation hadn’t stopped.

“You work at a law firm? That’s amazing!” Yamaguchi was cooing as he placed his drink on the table and slid back into the booth. Akiteru slid Kei’s drink and breakfast across to him, not even looking at Kei as he did so.

“Not really, I’m just an intern right now. I hope to work my way up, though.” Akiteru responded as Yamaguchi took a sip of his drink. The small brunette shook his head while still sipping before releasing and voicing his protest.

“No, seriously. I would never be able to do that. It takes some skill to do something that involved. I’m not much of a people person.” Yamaguchi responded, laughing a little bit as he responded, the sound of the laugh sheepish and playful. It was so lighthearted and pleasant, Tsukishima nearly forgot that it was Akiteru he was talking to and that them getting along was going to be torture in the future. 

“Yeah, well, I would never be able to spend my life doing art. That takes a lot of patience. I need to be around people or I feel a out of it.” Akiteru reciprocated, the two grinning politely at each other. Akiteru was right, through the years he had gotten used to being around people. Whenever he was away from people for too long he fell into a deep state of depression and it had taken the Tsukishima’s years to get him out of it. They knew now that he had to be around people and interacting with them in order for him to remain stable, even if the people were yelling and angry. Akiteru had a naturally optimistic outlook on life that was fueled solely by interaction with others. 

“To each his own, I suppose.” Yamaguchi responded, stirring absently at the stirring stick in his drink, smiling genuinely by this point. It was the smile Tsukishima knew he could get lost in if he wasn’t careful. With Akiteru around, he needed to be careful. 

“Yep. So, you know Hinata?” Akiteru asked. It was at this point that Tsukishima realized it hadn’t actually been ages since the conversation had started. Something about Akiteru talking to Yamaguchi made Kei nervous, thus stretching out time to an absurd length. Yamaguchi nodded, lips pressed over the edge of his cup, stealing Tsukishima’s eyes away from his.

“Yeah, we’ve been friends since we were little. Kind of just stuck around each other after that.” Yamaguchi responded, picking up the pastry he had ordered. Tsukishima had noticed that Yamaguchi ordered a pastry every visit. Hinata made them fresh every morning, though he often had help from Ukai when he forgot the oven was on or when he was missing ingredients. They weren’t top of the line, but rather generic and normal. Good enough to eat, but not enough to rave over. 

“More like Hinata stuck to you.” Tsukishima smirked, causing Yamaguchi to laugh, nodding in agreement as he did so. The laugh made the corners of Tsukishima’s mouth turn up. It was a bubbly laughter, the type Yamaguchi blessed him with almost every day. It was the most pleasant thing Tsukishima had ever heard. He could listen to it on repeat.

“True. Hinata is a very friendly person, he sticks to everyone he meets.” Yamaguchi agreed, still nodding, laughter having died out just a little bit. Hinata’s friendly attitude was what Tsukishima hated the most about him, but it was true that that was what drew people in toward him. It was likely the only reason Yamaguchi and Hinata had ever become friends in the first place. 

“That’s why we love him though, isn’t it?” Akiteru asked, grinning as he shot a glance toward Hinata, who was ducking behind the display case, adding a few new pastries to the racks. His bright orange hair reflected the light from the case glaringly, forcing most to look away from him. 

“Not really.” Tsukishima muttered, not even bothering to glance over at Hinata. He didn’t much care for the fluff ball, though he was able to read Tsukishima better than most. Which was odd, but it seemed it was only in relation to Yamaguchi, which was just further reason for Tsukishima to hate him. He didn’t need someone nosing into his love life every second of the day. 

“Kei, don’t be rude.” Akiteru scolded while shooting Tsukishima a disappointed look. It had been years since Akiteru had met Hinata, he knew how much Tsukishima found the little man annoying. It wasn’t anything new, yet Akiteru insisted on defending the fluff ball anyway. 

“It’s fine, Akiteru. Hinata doesn’t mind, he doesn’t really care what people think of him.” Yamaguchi responded, waving his hands around a bit as he put down his pastry. The way he defended his friend was sweet, even if it was the annoying Hinata. Tsukishima couldn’t help but smile a bit more as Yamaguchi did this, Akiteru momentarily distracted by responding to the brunette. 

“I guess you’re right. He’s never been terribly bothered by what other people say.” Akiteru agreed, his expression changing to realization and understanding as he said this. Tsukishima was just glad Hinata had been dropped as a conversation topic, because he was racing toward the table at what appeared to be three hundred miles per hour and Tsukishima didn’t want him thinking he actually cared.

“Tadashi! Are you ready to go?” Hinata exclaimed, ramming into the table and making the plates clink against the hard wooden surface. Akiteru’s face broke into a broad grin at the energy coming off the small man. Yamaguchi jumped a foot in the air, as if he hadn’t seen Hinata coming. Tsukishima simply watched the bright eyes of the small man flicker between his friend and Akiteru, as if unsure he should be shouting at them.

“Yeah, I just finished.” Yamaguchi responded, grabbing the small paper plate where his pastry had been sitting and scooting toward the end of table. Tsukishima’s expression turned to surprise when he realized Yamaguchi was leaving; and that he had finished his food and drink. Tsukishima’s pastry sat, half eaten, beside a still full cup of coffee. He didn’t want their interaction to be over so soon, but he didn’t want to join Hinata and Yamaguchi on their daily escapades. 

“Here, let me take that for you. Kei and I should be leaving, too, so we can walk you two out.” Akiteru offered, taking the plate from Yamaguchi despite protests the freckled man made. Tsukishima felt both grateful and furious at Akiteru for deciding this for him but he figured it was best they start leaving anyway. He hadn’t realized how long they had been there, but the sun was definitely higher in the sky. 

“That would be great! My car’s just across the parking lot.” Hinata said as Akiteru came back, hands empty. Kei slipped from the booth, shoving the last of the pastry into his mouth before throwing away his own plate. The cup he was okay with carrying around, the plate, not so much.

“Kei, do you not have any manners?” Akiteru scolded, turning right as Tsukishima attempted to chew what was in his mouth. Crumbs fell from his lips toward the clean floor below and Tsukishima found himself frozen in the gazes of Hinata and Yamaguchi, one of which was laughing hysterically and the other which was trying very hard not to laugh hysterically. Kei immediately felt his face flush a deep pink not only at the embarrassment of being called out by his brother, but also because Yamaguchi was really cute when he laughed. 

Chewing quickly, he swallowed hard, sipping his coffee to help the food slide down his throat. He shot Akiteru an annoyed look as he did so before he could properly respond.

“Yes, I do.” Tsukishima shot back, threatening Akiteru with just a look. Akiteru opened his mouth to respond when Tsukishima’s expression hardened and Akiteru understood what was going on. Tsukishima Akiteru was far from well mannered, especially around family. There were plenty of embarrassing stories of about Akiteru when he was younger during moments of particular mannerlessness. 

“Tsukishima, I don’t think that counts as manners.” Hinata coughed, finally recovering from the laughter that had forced him to double over, as if in pain. Yamaguchi, too, was finally calming down, his face red from the effort of laughing and the lack of oxygen. Tsukishima had to look away to keep from turning an even deeper shade of red. 

“Well, we’re walking you out to your car, so that should more than make up for it.” Akiteru pointed out and Hinata couldn’t help but nod, still laughing a bit as he led the way toward the door. The sun was much higher in the sky at this point and more people had begun to pull up, a few having entered while the group was preparing to leave. As the four pushed through the door, a particularly large student pushed passed them, ramming right into Yamaguchi. 

The small brunette was thrown way off balance and knocked right into Tsukishima, who caught him by the shoulders and immediately looked toward the guy who had rammed him. He was eye level with Tsukishima, a rare occurrence, but far thicker and muscular. 

“Watch where you’re going.” The man spat, turning to look toward Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, one of which was glaring and the other of which was rubbing his shoulder where the man had rammed into him. Immediately a look of recognition flickered over the man’s face and his angry frown turned to a knowing smirk.

“You should watch where you’re going.” Tsukishima spat back, ready to defend Yamaguchi if his life depended on it. The man directed his gaze up toward Tsukishima as if he hadn’t even realized he was there. 

“Are you really defending him?” He asked, almost sounding sincerely incredulous. Tsukishima felt anger boiling inside of him, but held it in by griping Yamaguchi’s shoulders tighter.

“Of course I am, he’s my friend.” Tsukishima hissed, ignoring the looks of warning from both Hinata and Akiteru as the guys friends piled into the doorway to watch the exchange. The man actually laughed at what Tsukishima.

“His friend? I didn’t think dirt was allowed to have friends.” The man spat, looking back down at Yamaguchi, who’s expression was hidden by his hair falling in front of his face. Tsukishima didn’t even look down, too shocked by the words coming out of the man’s mouth to pay much attention to Yamaguchi’s reaction.

“Dirt?” Tsukishima echoed, voice incredulous as he tugged Yamaguchi closer, not even thinking.

“Yeah, dirt.” The man repeated, grinning evilly as he said it. “Someone poured mud on his head when he was a kid, you see, and flicked it all over his face, too. He’s covered in it.” The guy actually laughed after he had said this, his friends joining in cruelly as Yamaguchi moved backward, burying himself further into Tsukishima. The tall blonde didn’t care a bit, still focused on the jerk in front of him.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Tsukishima growled, voice lowering with pure hatred and anger, the glare in his eyes worsening as the man stuck his nose in the air, away from the ‘dirt’. 

“The other theory is that he was dug up from the dirt and some of it stuck. I like that one better. It describes him perfectly.” The man seemed to be ignoring Tsukishima, which wasn’t a good idea. It also wasn’t a good idea what Tsukishima ignored Akiteru’s warning looks.

“Kei….” Akiteru tried to speak but the rage was boiling over and no sound entered his ears. Without thinking, Tsukishima pushed Yamaguchi into Akiteru beside him, the smaller man stumbling clumsily into the older Tsukishima sibling as the younger stepped closer to the man who was mocking Yamaguchi.

“Say it one more time.” Tsukishima dared, almost nose to nose with the man, who had looked down at Tsukishima’s approach. 

“Absolute filth, that one is.”

Then Tsukishima hit him.

It was a blur, nothing seemed to make sense in the immediate seconds that followed what the man said. Tsukishima’s fist whipped from where it had been hanging idle at his side and hit the man square in the jaw. The first thing he registered was searing pain as it shot through his knuckles and up his arm. The second thing he registered was pure pleasure as he watched the man stumbled backward into a couple of his friends, sending them straight into the doorjamb. 

After the man recovered, Akiteru was grabbing desperately at Kei’s arm, but all his senses had escaped him. It was just him and the jerk who threatened Yamaguchi. Hinata barreled passed Tsukishima and back into Karasuno, but Tsukishima didn’t have time to figure out why, because the man was suddenly recovering and headed right toward him.

There was little time to move and before Tsukishima could properly defend himself the man had already swung a fist right at Tsukishima’s face, sending him stumbling into the doorjamb on the other side. There was yelling and shouting and Yamaguchi’s voice broke through the rushing of waves that seemed to have crashed in Tsukishima’s head.

“Tsukki! Tsukki! Both of you, stop it!” He screamed, pushing as hard as he could at the chest of the man who had teased him. However, this wasn’t enough to stop him and the man advanced again, approaching Kei with a menacing look as he coiled to strike again. 

In a flash there was a bright blonde head of hair standing right in front of Tsukishima, blocking his view of the man, who had already brought his fist back to strike. There were angry words and exchanges and suddenly Tsukishima was in Hinata’s car in the back seat, head resting on Yamaguchi’s shoulder, hand over one side of his face.

“You are such an idiot! It was fine, you didn’t need to get involved.” Yamaguchi was scolding him, his voice clearly worried, but also furious. However, Tsukishima didn’t feel the least bit guilty. Someone had insulted Yamaguchi and they weren’t going to get away with it. 

“What are you talking about? He was calling you dirt.” Tsukishima protested, attempting to sit up but finding that he got dizzy when he did. Hinata was busily talking to Akiteru in the front seat but Tsukishima wasn’t listening to what they said.

“Tsukki, it’s fine. It happens a lot, I’m used to it.” Yamaguchi said, not realizing how stupid it was once he said it. Tsukishima’s eyes widened – well, one eye, the other was swollen shut. He attempted to awkwardly look up at Yamaguchi as he said this, but it was kind of hard at the angle at which he sat.

“It’s normal!? Yamaguchi, this shouldn’t be normal.” Tsukishima shot back, realization that this had been going on for a while hitting him. Yamaguchi hadn’t said anything to the man because he was used to it. Instead, he had curled into a smaller person and hidden in Tsukishima. 

“Yeah, well, it is.” Yamaguchi responded, looking away from Tsukishima’s gaze and out the window of the car. Tsukishima watched his expression for a little bit but didn’t say anything, only watching the sad expression on his face deepen as they passed places Tsukishima couldn’t see. How long had it been normal? 

The car made a turn and then pulled to a stop and Akiteru got out of the passenger side, pushing the front seat forward to help Tsukishima out of the car. They were right outside of Tsukishima’s apartment. 

“Hinata and I are going to get an ice pack, since I know you don’t have one.” Akiteru said, waiting for Yamaguchi to get out of the car before pushing the seat back into place and slipping back inside. Tsukishima let out a small ‘tsk’ and tried rolling his eyes, flinching when it became painful.

“How do you know I don’t have an ice pack?” Tsukishima grumbled, not in the mood to be teased by his brother. Akiteru rolled his eyes, the effort clearly less than Tsukishima’s roll had been.

“Because, Kuroo hates vegetables, so there aren’t any in the freezer, and you never use ice trays.” Akiteru explained, matter-of-fact tone grating on Tsukishima’s nerves. Akiteru was like a mother hen and it annoyed the hell out of Tsukishima. “Now stay put, well be right back.” With that, Akiteru slammed the door, the sound making Tsukishima flinch.

As the car pulled away, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi made their way up to the second floor of the apartment complex, Yamaguchi trying to help. Tsukishima tried pulling away from him, but enjoyed the feeling of Yamaguchi’s warm hands on his arm. 

As he unlocked the apartment he prayed to whatever was up there that Kuroo wasn’t home. Pushing the door open he breathed in the familiar scent of home and noticed a great lack of Kuroo or Bokuto in the living room. It was late enough in the day that Kuroo would be up and Bokuto would potentially be over, but neither of them were there. 

“Go sit down at the table, I’ll get a rag to clean up the blood.” Yamaguchi offered, pushing Tsukishima toward the chair at the table that was already mostly pulled out. The tall blonde sat down and watched as Yamaguchi shuffled through some drawers before finally pulling out a clean towel and getting it wet.

Most of the blood was already dried, so the work wasn’t counterproductive as Yamaguchi dabbed gently at Tsukishima’s face.

For what felt like hours it was silent. The only sound was laughing coming from the apartment above them that only came in spurts. A couple of thumps sounded from above as well, but Tsukishima and Yamaguchi remained silent until Yamaguchi dabbed on a sensitive spot and Tsukishima hissed at the pain.

“Sorry, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi muttered, pulling the cloth away and looking Tsukishima in the eyes. His bright, amber gaze was striking and beautiful, hypnotizing Tsukishima despite his embarrassment. 

“It’s fine.” Tsukishima muttered in response, locking eyes with Yamaguchi for a second. They sat like this for almost a minute before Yamaguchi proceeded to continue dabbing, his touch becoming lighter. There was another moment of silence but Tsukishima didn’t want this one to last so he took a breath and started.

“How long has that been going on?” He asked, his voice slightly hesitant as he said it. Yamaguchi seemed a bit sensitive about the whole thing, but it was worrying that it was normal and Yamaguchi didn’t do anything about it. There was a pause before Yamaguchi responded, sighing as he did so.

“Since elementary school. I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly when it happened because it just kind of started.” Yamaguchi responded, his voice wavering as he spoke. Taking a deep breath he froze, closing his eyes to calm down a bit. When he opened them, there was a deeper sadness there.

“At first it was because I was chubby, kids made fun of me for being fat. Then, one day, some kid kicked dirt toward me and realized that it didn’t even show up between my freckles.” Yamaguchi continued, dabbing gently at Tsukishima’s nose, where the man’s fist had blown past it enough to cause bleeding. It was just a bit sore, but nothing was broken.

“It stuck through middle school and high school, though it was kind of a nickname for a while. No one meant it seriously. But then, in my final year, someone pushed me into a large puddle of mud on a rainy day. We were just having fun, messing around. Hinata posted a picture online, laughing about the whole thing. It escalated from there.” Yamaguchi said, voice shaking as he continued to recall the events. Tsukishima didn’t want to make him cry, but his curiosity won over and he didn’t say anything to stop Yamaguchi.

“Everyone laughed about how I had returned home and the stories about my hair and my freckles started up again. Hinata blames himself, you know, for bringing back the dirt jokes.” Yamaguchi shook his head, small tears forming in the very corners of his eyes. Tsukishima felt a little bit of respect for Hinata, feeling so deeply for Yamaguchi as to blame himself for it. Obviously, though, it wasn’t his fault. 

“We thought I could escape it when I started college, but we were wrong. The picture had gone viral and pretty much everyone knew who I was. It’s kind of stuck, now, and there’s no way I can stop it.” Yamaguchi finished, brushing a hand across his eyes to get rid of the small tears forming in his eyes. Tsukishima felt anger bubbling inside of him a bit more as Yamaguchi pulled away.

“It’s all gone.” Yamaguchi said, dropping his hands and looking over Tsukishima’s face. The silence that followed was strained. Tsukishima felt furious for what Yamaguchi had been through and Yamaguchi was fighting the desire to cry. Tension hung heavy in the air and it wasn’t cut until Tsukishima let out a deep sigh.

“I was never bullied when I was a kid, and I wasn’t the bully either, but I never had any friends.” Tsukishima started, looking down as he did so. He didn’t want to look Yamaguchi in the eyes as he spoke, he felt like he was letting Yamaguchi further in than necessary. Akiteru and Kuroo were the only ones who knew this.

“Everyone avoided me because I was tall. The older kids thought I was too young to play with them, kids my age and younger thought I was scary and didn’t want to go anywhere near me. So I grew up alone. I learned to hide my emotions when around family, but Akiteru knew. He didn’t say much, but he did all he could to make me feel better.” Tsukishima continued, looking at Yamaguchi’s feet as he spoke.

“Kuroo was y first friend since kindergarten and the first friend to ever stick around. Later Bokuto dropped in and then Akaashi. I didn’t think I could ever have friends, and Kuroo tried his hardest to break me out of my shell. We-“ Tsukishima cut himself off, freezing a bit before readjusting himself comfortably and continuing.

“Kuroo got me my first boyfriend. It was a really rough relationship and, for a while after, we didn’t speak to each other. We’re good friends now, but that kind of started a slew of on and off relationships, none of which have been very serious and all of which ended because they said I didn’t express myself enough.” Tsukishima finished, scuffing his foot against the ground awkwardly, avoiding looking back up at Yamaguchi, afraid he would see tears or a look of indifference.

There was a moment of silence as the words that had been spoke were processed. Tsukishima felt like dying the longer the silence dragged on but it ended with a simple sentence from Yamaguchi:

“You want to feel loved.” His voice was shaky, making Tsukishima look up to find that one of his two suspicions had been right; Yamaguchi was crying. What he said was true, too. Tsukishima had been looking for someone to love him for his whole life, but there had never really been anyone who truly understood him or made him feel like himself. 

“You too.” Tsukishima realized, speaking aloud as he said it. Despite having Hinata, Kenma, Suga, and his other friends, Yamaguchi still didn’t feel loved. It was a similar situation with Tsukishima, though, with Akiteru, Kuroo, Bokuto, Akaashi, and his family. Tsukishima had plenty of people who liked him and spent time with him, but no matter how often they said they preferred his company, he always wondered why they stuck around him.

“We’re similar in that aspect, huh?” Yamaguchi whispered, his voice dropping as he wiped his hand across his face, drying up the tears, a small smile cracking his face. Tsukishima couldn’t help but smile back, face morphing into a small smile and then a grin. 

“Yeah, we are.” He chuckled, feeling a sense of relief wash over him. He had never felt so free in his life. Someone who liked him, related to him, and understood him was sitting right in front of him. And he was the most beautiful person Tsukishima had ever met. 

Yamaguchi laughed a little as well and Tsukishima opened his mouth to respond when the door shot open and Akiteru entered with Hinata on his tail. 

“We got the ice pack. Now, hold this to your face for a while. It will numb the pain and help with the swelling.” Nurse Akiteru instructed, handing Tsukishima a fresh bag of frozen peas. Small beads of condensation covered the surface of the plastic, but it was otherwise completely frozen. 

“Thanks, Aki.” Tsukishima muttered, feeling his light hearted mood not at all hindered by the arrival of the two loud men. Despite his desire to sit and bond with Yamaguchi more, the very fact that they had had this conversation was enough to make him feel better. 

“Yamaguchi and I should go. We’ve already missed the start of the movie, but we can always catch the next showing.” Hinata said, determined to catch whatever movie they had been planning on watching. Yamaguchi stood up from his chair, trying his best to hide the red on his cheeks from wiping the tears away. It wasn’t very hard since Hinata was too pumped to really pay much attention.

“See you later, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi called, dragging his feet slightly as Hinata pulled him out the door. Tsukishima couldn’t help but laugh fondly at the two as they left, the door shutting behind them dramatically to leave Akiteru and Kei in silence. 

It only lasted a second.

“So, anything happen?” Akiteru asked, earning himself a hard punch to the side which left him laughing hard enough to fall over sideways onto the couch nearby. Tsukishima smiled fondly at his brother as well. Despite his annoying, nagging nature, Kei still loved him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: We get to see Yamaguchi's room (also, some stuff about his gender identification)
> 
> I wasn't sure if anyone had seen my profile and figured I should drop this in here. Want to ask questions? Find me at:  
> [Fandom Tumblr](http://lovers-be-nerds.tumblr.com/)  
> [Art Tumblr](http://willow-tea.tumblr.com/)


	7. Revelation Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima gets tired of Kuroo when he throws a movie party and runs into Yamaguchi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadaa! Chapter 7, here we go! I was expecting this to be longer, but it's not bad this short. Enjoy!

“He’s so quiet, it’s adorable! I’ve never met someone so quiet since I met you, and he’s quieter than you!” Kuroo exclaimed, throwing a soppy mass of wet clothes into the dryer unceremoniously. It was an early Friday evening and Kuroo had some laundry he needed to do. Tsukishima didn’t, but he always enjoyed tagging along with Kuroo when he did. There had been some pretty ground breaking conversations during laundry runs.

Except this one was different.

It had been ten minutes since they had left the apartment and Kuroo hadn’t stopped talking about Kenma. It was great to see the guy so excited to be with someone new, but Tsukishima knew everything there was to know about Kenma. He really didn’t need to, though. He was even sure Kenma would agree with him. Kuroo’s skills at over sharing had no rival and it was irritating that Tsukishima knew him.

“He’ll sit and play on his gaming device most of the time when we’re together. I don’t really mind, but sometimes I like to talk. He’s not very good at talking. Just kind of grunts in agreement and then continues to play. I wonder how I could get him to talk more. At least to your level of conversational skills, but without the snark.” Kuroo continued, slamming the door to the dryer shut and turning the dials a bit to adjust for the load that was being dried. Then he started it and the rumbling noise of the dryer added to the already loud din in the room. 

Tsukishima leaned against a washing machine that wasn’t in use, staring off into space across the room as Kuroo rambled on, tossing more clothes into the washer, not bothering to sort them very well. He had yet to run into a color running issue, so Kuroo insisted he didn’t need to split them. Tsukishima was silently dividing the clothes properly as he watched Kuroo jumble them all together. Continuing his rant about Kenma, he drizzled soap into the washer and started the load, changing dials based on the load type. Not that it really had a type. 

“I don’t mind quiet types, I mean, I put up with you, don’t I? But I want to know more about him.” Kuroo rambled, picking up his now empty laundry basket and heading toward the door, assuming Tsukishima would follow. Kuroo wasn’t the type to get wary of people rotating his clothes or even stealing articles, he just left it. It wasn’t that he was trusting of everyone in their apartment complex, it was just that he didn’t care enough to sit in the room for hours on end just to wait for his clothes. 

He had only lost three items this way so far.

“Maybe if you just told him that.” Tsukishima muttered, not sure if Kuroo would even hear him over his own rambling. He was out of luck, because Kuroo stopped rambling as if to seriously consider what Tsukishima had said. He turned his head slightly so he was looking over his shoulder at Tsukishima.

“That I want to know more about him?” Kuroo asked, as if surprised this was even an idea. Tsukishima nodded, bored of this conversation twenty minutes ago. Kuroo turned to face ahead again, pushing through the door and out into the open hallway of the complex. Winter was approaching quickly and the air bit viciously at their skin, but that didn’t keep Kuroo was wearing a tank top and shorts. 

“Yeah, it’s not that hard.” Tsukishima responded. It was a wonder to know that Kuroo attracted ladies from every corner of campus, despite the fact that they all knew he was gay. They still thought he was an awesome person, when he was really the biggest, thick headed idiot in all of existence. At least, that was what Tsukishima believed. 

“Well, I guess.” Kuroo mused, pausing in his conversation. Tsukishima’s eyebrows knit together as he tried to get a good look at Kuroo’s face. Was he nervous? Kuroo had never been this nervous around Tsukishima before, it was a completely new experience. Kuroo really liked Kenma. Part of Tsukishima was thrilled that Kuroo had found someone he cared about so much, another part of Tsukishima was furious for some reason he couldn’t figure out. 

“Have you ever done that with Yamaguchi?” Kuroo asked, glancing behind himself again as he posed the question. They had reached the second floor and were walking down the hallway toward their apartment as Kuroo asked this and Tsukishima had to pause to think about it.

“Not really. It kind of comes up naturally.” Tsukishima responded, shrugging as he said this. He knew what was coming next and wasn’t even surprised when Kuroo groaned loudly. They pushed into their apartment and Kuroo angrily tossed his laundry basket onto the couch.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do! It just doesn’t work.” Kuroo whined, falling into an uncomfortable looking position onto one of the living room chairs. Tsukishima spun one of the chairs from the dining room around to face Kuroo and sat down with an indifferent shrug.

“That’s because Yamaguchi’s like an open book. He talks a lot and does schoolwork publicly. There aren’t very many things he keeps secret.” As he said this, Tsukishima flashed back to a month earlier. Yamaguchi had opened his heart to Tsukishima in a way very few had been allowed to see. In return, Tsukishima had done the same. It was a heartfelt exchange that Tsukishima would never forget. 

“But Kenma’s not like that! He’s so quiet!” Kuroo whined, throwing his head backward over the armrest of the chair. Tsukishima rolled his eyes, his head very nearly following due to his sheer exasperation with this man. Could he even really be considered a man?

“Yes, and that’s why you have to go about this differently. Yamaguchi’s an open book, Kenma’s closed. You just have to open him.” Tsukishima told him, his irritating clear in his voice. Kuroo’s head shot up and his wide, owlish eyes locked onto Tsukishima. Great, what this time?

“That was so deep, Tsukishima! Can I use that?” Kuroo asked, pulling himself into a proper sitting position as he asked this. Despite his clear superiority with writing and the English language, Kuroo always found a reason to get advice from roommates and friends, even using lines they had said in every day conversation. 

“Yeah.” Tsukishima responded. Kuroo shot to his feet and crashed into his room. Noises sounded from behind the door and Kuroo came racing back out, launching himself onto the chair again. This time he had a notebook and a pencil. The notebook was a modge podge mix of all the inspirations he had for writing. Tsukishima had read it before, but nothing really made any sense. It was a chaotic mess with no organization, but Kuroo could understand it. 

“Thanks.” Kuroo muttered belatedly, scribbling away at the page as if he would lose the sentence if he didn’t write it down fast enough. Surprisingly, Kuroo had an amazing memory, but he never quite trusted himself to remember something for so long. 

There was silence for a while as Kuroo finished writing the words down and began flipping absently through the pages of the notebook, as if looking for something. The only noise was the sound of Kuroo turning pages. When he had finally found what he had been looking for, he scribbled something on the page and slammed the book shut. 

“Hey, speaking of Yamaguchi,” Kuroo started, “how have you guys been? I haven’t seen him a lot since you came home that one day with a black eye.” Tsukishima looked away, showing an uncharacteristically shy side of himself that only Kuroo had seen. Even Akiteru hadn’t been allowed to see him ashamed or nervous, something very difficult to accomplish. 

“We still talk. I see him at Karasuno sometimes. Nothing special.” Tsukishima responded, staring at his shoes as he spoke. Kuroo shuffled in his seat, dropping the notebook onto the floor with a thwap. 

“You never told me how you got the black eye.” Kuroo prompted, hoping desperately to finally get it out of Tsukishima. It wasn’t like it was a big deal, Tsukishima had gotten into fights a lot more often than many people thought. It was the reason he had gotten into the fight he didn’t want to tell Kuroo. Yamaguchi had been really sensitive about his freckles and the fact that he was bullied for them. Hinata had been the only person to know for years, and now Akiteru and Tsukishima knew. Tsukishima didn’t want to tell anyone else in case Yamaguchi didn’t want anyone else to know. 

“It was just a little scuffle, nothing important.” Tsukishima lied, hoping Kuroo would continue to drop the topic. There was a slight huff from where Kuroo sat on the chair, but he had been doing this for the last month. Letting Tsukishima off again wasn’t that big of a deal. 

“Fine, whatever. You’ll tell me when you want to.” Kuroo said, standing with a dramatic flourish only he could do. Tsukishima looked up at this, curious about what Kuroo was doing. The black haired man crossed the apartment to his room where he grabbed his phone and then came back out, stopping in the middle of the living room. He typed something into his phone and then tossed it onto the chair.

“We’re having a movie night.” Kuroo announced, turning toward Tsukishima as if to challenge this.

“Excuse me?” Tsukishima asked, eyes narrowing in disbelief. Who did Kuroo think he was, suddenly deciding on his own that they were having a movie night. They always decided together, though it wasn’t very hard to convince Tsukishima to have a movie night.

“I just texted the gang, we’re having a movie night and we’re watching Hairspray.” Kuroo repeated, putting his hands on his hips and widening his stance, further issuing his challenge. Tsukishima didn’t have a problem with a movie night or watching another musical, so he sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

“Fine.” Tsukishima muttered, standing so that he was eye level with Kuroo. “Who’s ‘the gang’?” He asked, wanting to clarify who all Kuroo had invited. Quickly, Kuroo grabbed his phone from the couch and scrolled through it, looking for the message he had just sent.

“Um, Boku, Akaashi, Kageyama, Hinata, and Kenma. Oh, and Yamaguchi, of course.” Kuroo responded, looking back up at Tsukishima, grinning. Tsukishima raised an eyebrow at him, as if asking what he was thinking. Kuroo only grinned and headed back into his room, waving a hand absently. 

“Get ready, they should be over soon.” He called, disappearing into his room and closing the door behind him.

\----

“Where’s Yamaguchi?” Kuroo asked, looking around the crowded living room and all the people occupying it. 

Kuroo had been right when he had said they would be over soon. Bokuto and Akaashi had shown up within twenty minutes of Bokuto sending out the text, Kageyama half an hour, and Hinata with Kenma fourty five minutes. Everyone had settled into different places in the living room and Kuroo had popped the movie in, only to pause after a second and turn back toward everyone.

“Oh, he couldn’t come. He’s pretty busy tonight.” Hinata responded, trying to push Kageyama off the couch where he had been sitting only moments earlier. It was sickening to watch them interact, always fighting as if they wanted to be touching all the time. 

“Oh, that’s too bad.” Kuroo pouted slightly, disappointed for Tsukishima’s sake. Tsukishima didn’t mind, honestly, since he would get to see Yamaguchi some other time. He figured Kuroo had wanted to ask Yamaguchi personally, when everyone was distracted by something else, what had happened that day. Akiteru wouldn’t answer Kuroo either, and Kuroo knew Hinata wouldn’t say anything.

“Yeah, he’s sad he couldn’t make-BAKAGEYAMA GET OFF ME!” Hinata was interrupted when Kageyama pulled him off the armrest and folded his torso over the smaller man. It wasn’t a crushing weight, but Hinata couldn’t get him off, despite his squirming. Kuroo grinned, forgetting the conversation instantly and turning back toward the TV, where he hit play on the remote. 

Tsukishima had seen the movie countless times. If he wanted to, he could quote and sing along to every word of it, but he wasn’t going to. Bokuto and Kuroo, on the other hand, were belting and yelling every single line. Akaashi quietly asked Bokuto to stop quoting everything and just watch the movie, but no one stopped Kuroo. At one point, shortly after Penny was dragged out of the Turnblad’s house by her mother for watching TV, Tsukishima caught Kenma glancing at Kuroo fondly. Kuroo had nothing to worry about, Kenma liked him just fine. 

The movie became background noise shortly after Kuroo sang something and Bokuto challenged the lyrics. Akaashi insisted they didn’t need to have this conversation now. Hinata attempted to leave Kageyama’s trap, assuming the taller man had become lax, but having assumed wrong. The noise rose about the movie, Kuroo and Bokuto arguing about something completely different several minutes into Run and Tell That, Kenma and Akaashi exchanging a rather quiet conversation, and Hinata and Kageyama wrestling on the couch, faces red, a smile having replaced both of their scowls. 

Tsukishima couldn’t handle it.

Standing up, he made it to the door and out without anyone noticing his escape. The night was cold and he realized, too late, that he was going to need something better than the jacket he was wearing. Still, he didn’t want to go back inside anytime soon, so he braved it in the cold world and headed down the stairs to the sidewalk.

The moon was out, almost full and bright enough the streetlights were almost not necessary. Barely visible beside it and all across the sky were stars like Yamaguchi’s freckles, their beauty beyond description. Tsukishima longed to photograph the stars, it was his biggest dream. But none of the cameras he had used had been high enough quality for that. Still, Yamaguchi’s freckles were so close to the stars it made Tsukishima want to photograph him. 

With a sigh, his gaze dropped from the stars and he realized he was somewhere near Karasuno, but on a side of it he didn’t recognize as well. The night was silent, all the students inside, having fun where it was warm. Tsukishima shivered, pulling his arms closer together and feeling goose bumps crawl up his arms. Curse that loud bunch, he should have grabbed a coat. Or even stayed inside. 

Shuffling lightly down the road he turned the corner and found a figure standing at the other end of the block, barely visible under the street light. He was a small person, bundled in a scarf a rather thick jacket. As Tsukishima got closer, he realized his dark hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and his backpack looked just like Yamaguchi’s. 

As soon as the man turned at the sound of Tsukishima approaching, he realized it was Yamaguchi. 

“Tsukki, what are you doing out here?” Yamaguchi asked, turning to face Tsukishima when he recognized the blonde. His nose and cheeks were red from the cold. Tsukishima imagined he didn’t look any better. 

“My apartment was getting a little suffocating.” Tsukishima responded, shrugging lightly with this response. It had been extremely loud and no one had even been watching the movie. Going for a walk had been the logical solution, since it worked almost every other time Tsukishima had done it. 

“You look cold. C’mon, I was headed back to my apartment, you can warm up there.” Yamaguchi offered, gesturing in the direction of his apartment with his head. Tsukishima let a small smile cross his lips and joined Yamaguchi where he was standing. He had been waiting to cross the street when Tsukishima had shown up, so it was relatively clear. 

They started across the dark street, distant headlights coming toward them. For a moment they walked in silence, the lack of words comforting to Tsukishima. It was nice that Yamaguchi didn’t find the need to always talk. 

“So…why is your apartment suffocating?” Yamaguchi asked, turning his eyes slightly toward Tsukishima as he asked. The taller man shrugged, not moving the direction of his eyes from ahead of them. 

“They were supposed to be watching a movie, but they weren’t. They were kind of arguing.” Tsukishima responded, not bothering to look at Yamaguchi. He caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye, the soft face looking even more beautiful in the low light. 

“Really? What about?” Yamaguchi asked, far more curious now. It had been stupid, really, as was everything Kuroo and Bokuto argued about. Plus, there had been Kageyama and Hinata, disgusting as they were, laying all over each other on the couch.

“I don’t even remember. At first Kuroo and Bokuto were arguing about the lyrics of one of the songs, but then it changed. Kageyama and Hinata were just trying to push each other off the couch.” Tsukishima answered, cringing at the memory of Kagyeama curled on top of Hinata. It was disgusting, couldn’t they just hold hands or cuddle? That would be a little less disgusting.

“Wait, what were you guys watching?” That was the only question Yamaguchi had? Tsukishima grunted, finding it odd that Yamaguchi would be more interested in what they were watching rather than Hinata’s antics. They were best friends. Maybe Yamaguchi didn’t keep tabs on him at all times.

“Hairspray.” Tsukishima responded and Yamaguchi let out a long ‘ooh!’, turning back to face the sidewalk and directing their steps to the left at a corner. 

“I was so confused when you said lyrics. Now it makes sense.” Yamaguchi laughed a light, bubbly laughter and Tsukishima couldn’t help but cast a glance sideways to see the smile on his face. It was as beautiful as it usually was, possibly even more stunning as the light from the moon above hit his face.

Tsukishima turned away and nodded, feeling his face heating up when he realized he had been staring. Yamaguchi didn’t seem to notice, his laughter dying down slowly until they were left in a comfortable silence. They walked to Yamaguchi’s apartment like this, silent but smiling. If anyone had caught them like this, they would have been really confused. The entire way Yamaguchi didn’t ask about Hinata and Kageyama, and soon the thought dropped from Tsukishima’s mind.

“Alright, here we are.” Yamaguchi said, nodding toward the apartment complex. He hadn’t removed his hands from his pockets since Tsukishima had first seen him, but it made sense. It was very cold out and frozen fingers was not a pleasant experience. 

Ahead of them was the vaguely familiar apartment complex Tsukishima had seen once, on Halloween. Hinata had gone in to get his cat costume so they could go trick-or-treating. Tsukishima hadn’t been here since, but it looked as he remembered it. Which wasn’t saying much, since he didn’t really remember it. 

“C’mon, you can sit down for a bit, if you want.” Yamaguchi offered, having stopped ahead of Tsukishima. Realizing he had stopped moving, Tsukishima ducked his face away from Yamaguchi, embarrassed that he had stopped. With one step he reached Yamaguchi’s side and they continued toward the apartment door Yamaguchi directed him to. 

It was tidy, nothing at all as Tsukishima had expected it. Hinata was such a ball of energy, Tsukishima had assumed he would be messier than Yamaguchi was neat. He was proven very wrong by how organized the place was. It had been cleaned recently, vacuum lines still left in the carpet. The dining table had four chairs and a modest vase of flowers in the middle. There were dishes on one of the kitchen counters, stacked neatly as if they had been washed recently. 

The best part: it was warm.

“It’s really nice in here.” Tsukishima mused, turning about to see the pictures on the walls. They were all paintings, but they weren’t framed. They were simply canvases hung up on hooks on the walls, some sitting slight askew. 

“Thanks, we cleaned recently.” Yamaguchi responded, walking across the living room-dining room area and toward a door, which he pushed open and entered through. From where Tsukishima stood he could see a bed and a desk with all sorts of clutter on them. Hesitantly, he approached the doorway and looked in, finding the most beautiful room he had ever seen.

“If you want you can come in. My bed is free, or my desk chair if you prefer.” Yamaguchi offered absently, stripping off his jacket and tossing it onto the back of said desk chair. Tsukishima took his offer and entered, looking around the beautiful room, entirely in awe.

The walls were a pale pink. In the bright light from the ceiling it was hard to tell if it was just a creamy white, but Tsukishima settled on a pale pink. The desk was situated in the back corner of the room, shoved against a wall, cluttered neatly with pens and pencils and cups holding markers and brushes. 

Right beside the desk was a standing easel with an unfinished painting on it, beautiful despite its incomplete nature. Below the easel and all over the floor against the wall was small boxes of paints: big bottles, small bottles, some empty, some completely full. A few broken paintbrushes sat amongst the bottles not in boxes, snapped in half or without most of their bristles. It was a curious sight, but Tsukishima was too busy taking in the rest of the room to ask why they were broken.

On the other side of the easel, against the wall, was countless completed canvases, stacked against each other with a beautiful mountain visible from the front. Right next to these canvases, on another wall, was the dresser. It was short, with four drawers, each panted a different pastel color, flowers swirling around tarnished handles. Atop the dresser was such an array of lotions, Tsukishima got lost amongst the ‘sweat pea’ and ‘hello beautiful’. None of the bottles were less than half full, many seeming to have barely been touched. 

Then there was the bed. It was across from the finished canvas stash and made neatly, the pillows tucked in under the blankets. There was no match to any of the blankets, they all seemed to have been collected randomly over the years. On top was what looked like a handmade comforter of various flower patterns that all seemed to match but at the same time not. 

Tsukishima finally made a full three-sixty, head snapping back when he caught sight of the open closet on the opposite side of the room from the dresser. The first thing to catch his eye was several pink outfits hanging from well organized hangars. 

The second thing was the dresses.

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi asked, appearing in the corner of Tsukishima’s line of sight, his big amber eyes appearing worried. Forcefully, Tsukishima attempted to look away from the closet, but found the dresses drawing his attention as if grabbing his face and directing it toward them. Still, he managed to shoot Yamaguchi a slight look.

“Huh?” He asked absently, still not fully aware of what was happening. He had expected the pastels, the paints, and the tidiness. The dresses, the frills, and the pinks was not what he had been expecting. All he had ever seen Yamaguchi wear was dark colors, greys, and pants. Sure, he had a few girly looking shirts, but nothing bright or flowery. 

“Is-is something wrong?” Yamaguchi asked, voice wavering nervously. This finally dragged Tsukishima from his stupor, his attention drawn to the worry lines in Yamaguchi’s forehead. The smaller man looked on the verge of tears, his eyes a slight red as they worked to hold back threatening tears. Tsukishima instantly felt guilty, afraid he had offended Yamaguchi.

“No, of course not. I just wasn’t expecting this.” Tsukishima responded hastily, glancing back at the closet quickly to look at the cute little sundress decorated with stars and constellations. Quickly he turned back to Yamaguchi, smiling slightly to reassure him that it was fine. 

“Yeah, most people don’t know I own these.” Yamaguchi muttered, trying to smile himself, letting out a small, nervous chuckle. He approached the closet, pulling a bit at the material of a pale pink dress with no sleeves but a high neck line. It was a simple, a belt hanging loosely from its waist, the soft material rustling lightly at the touch. 

“Who does know?” Tsukishima asked, realizing he knew the answer as he asked. Yamaguchi didn’t look up at him, but instead stared at his shoes, behind which was Yamaguchi’s shoe wrack, filled with similarly girly expressions and a few dark, sneakers.

“Hinata and now you.” Yamaguchi said, eyes averting toward the dresses again as if flinching away from Tsukishima. Tsukishima felt bad for making Yamaguchi felt bad, so he approached and tried to step in front of Yamaguchi and catch his eye. It didn’t work very well, but he tried to make Yamaguchi feel better.

“Why have I never seen you in one of these?” Tsukishima asked, making his tone light as if he was curious what Yamaguchi looked like in one. The smaller man continued to avoid Tsukishima’s eyes, but did turn his head back toward his shoes rather than the closet. He shrugged indifferently.

“People laugh.” Yamaguchi responded simply, not even moving his face as he spoke. There was a sniff from Yamaguchi and Tsukishima wondered if he was crying. This had gotten far out of hand.

“I bet you look amazing.” Tsukishima whispered, leaning down a little further, but not getting any closer. He didn’t know how Yamaguchi felt about touch as a way of reassurance, but he knew he hated it. It was better to be safe than make things any worse.

“Yeah, well, everyone thinks it’s silly I like to wear dresses.” Yamaguchi muttered, sniffling again, this time a tear visibly dripping off his face and onto his shoe. Tsukishima waited for a second, wondering what exactly to ask or say next. After a small pause, he continued.

“Why do you wear them?” He asked, wanting to know the reason and hoping that the answer would give him further ability to comfort Yamaguchi. The smaller man tilted his head upward a little to the point that Tsukishima could see his face, but wasn’t able to look him in the eyes. Amber eyes gazed longingly back to the dresses, a small smile gracing his face.

“Sometimes it just feels good.” He responded, a small chuckle coming from his throat, this one full of joy and excitement. “I don’t know how to explain it. Sometimes I love wearing dresses and flowers in my hair and sometimes I enjoy wearing black pants and baggy shirts. Both of them are comfortable.” The look on his face was enough for Tsukishima to know that it didn’t matter what other people thought, this was Yamaguchi, he just needed to know that.

“If that’s the case, then you shouldn’t worry what other people think.” Tsukishima insisted, turning his head slightly to try and get a look at Yamaguchi’s eyes. Luckily, the brunette did it for him and they locked eyes.

“It’s not that easy, Tsukki. People think only girls wear dresses, but I’m neither a guy nor a girl, but everyone thinks I’m a guy. They believe I shouldn’t be wearing pink or flowers.” Yamaguchi said, his disappointment clear in his tone of voice. Tsukishima thought about this and realized he was right. Society needed its norms, but they were stupid norms. Then something hit Tsukishima.

“Is this why Hinata, Suga, and Daichi all refer to you as ‘they’?” Tsukishima asked, golden eyes widening suddenly with realization. Shy, beautiful Yamaguchi ducked his head as he nodded. No, as they nodded. Their hair fell into their face as they looked away, avoiding Tsukishima’s gaze. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I would have used the right pronouns.” Tsukishima insisted and Yamaguchi laughed.

“I don’t just tell people right away. It doesn’t bother me too much when people use the wrong pronouns, as long as they don’t stereotype me to one gender.” Yamaguchi explained, turning their head slightly as they spoke. “Hinata knows because he’s my best friend and Suga knows because he picked up on Hinata’s purposeful use of the pronouns. The only reason Daichi knows is because Suga told him. Neither Daichi or Suga know why I use them, they just use them.”

The revelation made perfect sense. Yamaguchi had never seemed to quite fit into one gender, their beauty and elegance complimenting their sharp features perfectly. It was amazing to know yet another thing about Yamaguchi only Hinata knew. 

“You should wear some of these more. You know I’ll fight anyone who picks on you.” Tsukishima said, getting a good laugh out of Yamaguchi for this comment. After the whole freckles thing a month ago, Yamaguchi was well aware of the fact that Tsukishima would fight anyone for him.

“You shouldn’t fight anyone for me, Tsukki. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Yamaguchi insisted, their laughter dying out before they spoke. Tsukishima shook his head and made eye contact.

“I’d rather be hurt physically for a little bit than you be hurt emotionally for a long time.” Tsukishima said, realizing that this was the kind of thing Kuroo would like to put in his quotes journal. 

At first, Yamaguchi looked into Tsukishima’s eyes like a deer in headlights, unsure what to do. Then they broke into a grin, then they started laughing, tears streaming down their face as they did. Without hesitation they launched themselves at Tsukishima, wrapping him in a big hug, laughing and crying into his ear. 

“Thank you, Tsukki. Thank you.” Yamaguchi sobbed, laughing joyfully, clinging tightly to Tsukishima, who barely hesitated to wrap his own arms around Yamaguchi’s back, pulling them in tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: The first snow falls and a few miraculous things happen
> 
>  
> 
> [Fandom Blog](http://lovers-be-nerds.tumblr.com/)  
> [Art Blog](http://willow-tea.tumblr.com/)


	8. Snow Songs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, Suga, and Daichi chat for a bit and snow finally falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot! Halfway through! The rest of this thing is going to be so much fun! Prepare for more fluff, angst, and a bit of smut later on ;) Thank you so much for reading!

Winter was officially upon them. 

The quiet morning, normally interrupted by a very tired Kuroo, was particularly silent when Tsukishima awoke. The apartment was a suffocating warmth that comforted Tsukishima to the point that he actually didn’t feel like getting up. Usually he felt like sleeping in, but when he awoke to the pressing feeling of heat, he rolled over and groaned in annoyance. Getting up was going to be such a hassle. He really needed his coffee.

Rising slowly he meandered toward his dresser, stumbling a few times from weariness as he reached it. Yawning, he pulled out a drawer and grabbed a few items of clothing, not even bothering to put together a real outfit. All he wanted to do was get dressed so he could get his coffee. He didn’t care what he was wearing while he did so. 

Lazily he pulled the shirt over his head and slipped the pants up to his hips, buttoning them with a tired finality. He dragged his backpack across the floor, swiping up his shoes and tucking his socks inside of them so he had less to carry. He pushed his glasses up his nose and snatched a jacket off his desk chair before leaving the room to the living room and kitchen area.

Glaring light hit Tsukishima in the face as he entered the living room and he silently cursed Kuroo for leaving the blinds open all night. Why was it so bright out, anyway? It was still early in the morning, there was no way the sun had already risen high enough to blind him. 

Blinking against the bright light, Tsukishima corrected his assumption. This light was too white to be sunlight. It was the light one got from reading a new book in the sun. It almost hurt more than looking directly into the sun.

Tsukishima knew what it was before he even got to the window.

Looking out through the open blinds and down to the parking lot below he sighed, tense muscles from having to wake up early relaxing at the serene sight outside the window. Snow covered the ground, fresh and untouched in every place except the parking lot and certain tracks made on the sidewalks. It looked to be about a foot or two deep and freshly fallen. Tsukishima loved the snow, he was a winter person and the snow was his favorite part of the season.

Feeling a little more awake, he disappeared back into his bedroom and grabbed a scarf, discarding his sneakers in favor of a pair of snow boots. Quickly he pulled his socks and boots on while a pop tart toasted in the toaster. He threw his jacket on and pulled the scarf around his neck before grabbing the pop tarts. Temporarily setting them down he swung his bag over one shoulder and then headed out the door.

The world was even quieter out here.

High piled snow muffled what little early morning sounds could be heard. No birds sang and there was no sound as a car passed by on the road. Sighing deeply, he watched with pleasure as his breath puffed before him. Now in a better mood, Tsukishima trekked toward Karasuno and his awaiting coffee. Despite feeling better, he still needed the pick-me-up before he started class. Even though class was hours away, he enjoyed spending his time hanging around Karasuno early in the morning. Especially since Kageyama and Hinata had started attaching themselves at the hip, it had been particularly quiet. Despite their sickening desire for each other and the fact that they were dancing around the subject, it was nice that Hinata had someone else to talk to for a change. 

The small café appeared around the corner and Tsukishima smiled a bit. Hinata’s bright bug stood out among the other cars in the parking lot, but other than Ukai’s car, it was basically the only one there. The parking lot had been plowed and snow was shoveled almost six feet high along the sidewalks. Tsukishima almost felt tempted to stick his fingers into it just to feel the chill, but decided against it in favor of keeping all his fingers.

Entering Karasuno, Tsukishima was pleased to find it empty. Ukai sat at the front, messing around with the register, probably counting the cash again, and Hinata was nowhere to be seen. As soon as the door opened, Ukai’s head shot up and he grinned.

“Tsukishima, nice to see you this morning. How you liking the weather?” Ukai asked, pushing the money back into the register and closing it with a click. Tsukishima approached the front as Ukai asked. 

“Nice to see you, too. It’s wonderful.” Tsukishima responded, offering a small smile to Ukai as he said this. Ukai chuckled lightly and shook his head, standing and heading toward the machines lining the back wall. 

“Only you’re crazy enough to actually enjoy this weather. It’s freezing, I almost couldn’t get out this morning.” Ukai added on, grabbing a cup and starting Tsukishima’s drink for him. The older man definitely looked cold, wearing a pair of fingerless gloves with pull over mittens and a thick jacket under his apron. 

“I just really like the snow.” Tsukishima admitted, clearly not apologetic about this. Ukai shrugged and grabbed a lid for Tsukishima’s cup. His blonde hair looked clumped and frozen, as if he had showered that morning and it had frozen together. Which was probably true. 

“Well, we each have our own opinions. I’m a summer person myself.” Ukai continued, clicking the lid in place and slipping a small stirring straw into the coffee. He offered it to Tsukishima over the counter and the taller blonde took it, thanking Ukai with a small nod.

As Tsukishima was pulling out his wallet for money, Hinata appeared suddenly from the back room, beaming when he saw Tsukishima.

“Tsukishima! Hey! Yamaguchi’s sitting right over there, if you wanna sit with them!” As usual, Hinata’s voice was too loud for the early morning. However, he made up for it a bit by bringing up good news. Turning to where Hinata had pointed he spotted the familiar dark brown head of hair, completely distracted by a sketchbook. How had he managed to not hear any of the conversation? Usually Yamaguchi at least said hi when Tsukishima entered.

“They couldn’t sleep last night, so they came with me to work. They have a class soon though, so they should probably get going.” Hinata added on, as if Tsukishima needed to know this information. Unbeknownst to Tsukishima himself, he wanted to know everything about Yamaguchi. After that night in their room he had a deeper desire to know them, everything about them. 

Also, he was worried they hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

“Thanks, Ukai.” Tsukishima said, ignoring Hinata’s whines of protest for not being thanked. He claimed he had been more helpful, but Tsukishima didn’t want to admit, out loud, to Hinata that he actually wanted the information he had been given. Closing his wallet and shoving it back into his pocket, he turned toward the table where Yamaguchi was sitting. 

As he approached, he noticed bright white lines coming from under their hair, which was down. It suddenly clicked that they were listening to music. It must have been too loud for them to hear the conversations going on around them, and that was why they hadn’t said hi to Tsukishima yet.

Smirking with amusement, Tsukishima brushed his fingers against their ear and pulled one headphone out smoothly. This made Yamaguchi jump, but Tsukishima didn’t apologize, instead sitting down and slipping the headphone into his own ear. Quickly, Yamaguchi’s expression went from fear to uncertainty. It took Tsukishima a second to understand why. 

Coming from the white and black headphone he had just placed in his ear was some rough, scratchy vocals and a squealing guitar. As he continued to listen, his own eyes widened to a similar size as Yamaguchi’s had when he had removed the headphone. This was punk rock, or heavy metal, or whatever it was called. No matter the name, it was grating to the senses and surprised Tsukishima.

After listening for a couple of minutes, he turned to Yamaguchi, eyes wide and surprised. The smaller person smiled sheepishly and pulled the other headphone out of their ear. As Tsukishima followed suit, they pulled out their phone and hit the pause button, the silence of Karasuno flooding back into Tsukishima’s senses all at once.

“Hey, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi was the first to speak, their voice just as sheepish as their expression. Surprise still decorated Tsukishima’s face, but he felt amusement welling up inside of him and he couldn’t help but start to laugh. Yamaguchi’s wary expression broke and they, too, began to laugh a little, taking deep breaths and cooling off before Tsukishima could.

“What the hell was that?” Tsukishima asked once he had caught his breath and could speak. Yamaguchi chuckled nervously and tucked their hair behind one ear, a nervous habit Tsukishima had noticed they did even when their hair was pulled back. 

“Uh, it’s my music. It, um, calms me down.” Yamaguchi responded and Tsukishima nodded, still smiling but no longer laughing. It was always a pleasant surprise, when he learned new things about Yamaguchi. They were such an interesting, odd person. So much of them seemed contradictory, but it also fit so well with who they were. Tsukishima could feel something welling up inside of him. 

“Calms you down? Doesn’t it rile most people up?” Tsukishima asked, genuinely curious about how that worked. Yamaguchi dropped their arms onto their sketchbook and shrugged, now smiling lightly. It was such a nice expression. 

“I don’t know how to explain it, it just kind of does.” Yamaguchi responded, looking toward Tsukishima out of the corner of their eye. Tsukishima shrugged and turned away to look at the drink in his hand. Setting this down on the table he began to spin it absently while formulating a response.

“Jazz music calms me down.” He responded, only after a moment of hesitation. Most people laughed when they learned he listened to jazz music. It was a cheesy, old man kind of music and they thought it was silly. Most people said they thought he listened to alternate rock or indie music. Something really hippy, but not soft. 

“That’s cool! Hinata loves jazz music, he listens to it all the time. Did you know he used to play in a jazz band? He still has his sax. It’s super awesome when he brings it out and plays.” Yamaguchi replied, surprising Tsukishima. Not only did it surprise him that Yamaguchi had no problem with jazz music, Hinata loved it. Turning briefly, Tsukishima glanced over at Hinata at the counter, beating out some rhythm with his fingers on the hard surface, clearly bored. 

“I had no idea.” Tsukishima said, turning back to Yamaguchi as he said it. Hinata had always struck him as the hard rock type, listening to the loud, head banging kind of stuff that most people as jumpy as him listened to. Even if jazz struck Tsukishima as Hinata’s type of music, he wouldn’t have thought of the man as a saxophone player, but rather the drummer. 

“Yep! He’s got more rhythm than most people I know. I love jazz too, just so you know. I just prefer listening to this, especially when I feel tense.” Yamaguchi clarified, tilting their head slightly to get a better look at Tsukishima’s face. The blonde turned so they were making eye contact and he was looking into Yamaguchi’s beautiful eyes. For a moment, neither said anything.

“Do you feel tense right now?” Tsukishima asked, wondering if this was too far. His hesitance came for a second before he realized Yamaguchi had told him all about them. If their gender pronouns were something they were okay with explaining to Tsukishima, then maybe they were willing to talk about anything. 

“Just a bit. I have a big project due in my art class soon and I’m not sure where I’m going with it.” Yamaguchi responded, looking toward the table and the empty cup that must have been sitting there for a while. A small heart was drawn onto it, but no name. Ukai hadn’t written anything on Tsukishima’s cup, since he had handed it straight to him. But Tsukishima had a feeling it had been Hinata who had done Yamaguchi’s drink.

“I’m sure you can figure it out. You’re very creative.” Tsukishima said, watching longingly as Yamaguchi looked away, toward their sketchbook hidden by their arms. He wanted to look into those eyes for so much longer. “You can always ask me. Photography isn’t too different in regards to the creative process.” Tsukishima added on. When coming up with a photo shoot he always thought up a story for it. The biggest difference between photography and art was that art could be literally anything. There were only so many things in real life that Tsukishima could photograph.

“Thanks, Tsukki. I just don’t know.” Yamaguchi’s face dropped further toward their sketchbook as they spoke and Tsukishima could almost feel an utter lack of feeling coming from Yamaguchi. They weren’t tense, like they had said, they didn’t know what they were. Tsukishima hated that Yamaguchi was looking that way, they were normally such a happy person. He’d never seen them look lost or confused.

Tsukishima was about to say something else when the door behind their table opened and someone walked in. Hesitantly he turned around to see who it was and was glad he had. Approaching the front counter was Suga and Daichi, two familiar faces Tsukishima actually enjoyed talking to, even if he hadn’t had much of a chance to in a while. 

Suga turned to look around the room and grinned when he spotted Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. Quickly he turned toward his boyfriend, whispered something in his ear, and then turned back toward Tsukishima to head toward the table. Daichi turned to watch where his boyfriend was going and smiled when he, too, spotted Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. 

“Tsukishima, it’s been a while. How are you?” Suga asked, sliding in across from Tsukishima, stopping momentarily where he was. Tsukishima caught Suga shooting Yamaguchi a quick glance before redirecting his attention to Tsukishima. Yamaguchi had looked up when Suga had entered, but there was still tired look in their eyes. 

“I’m great. How are you?” Tsukishima asked, realizing there was a slight vibration coming off of Suga. It was almost as if he was impatient and wanted to do something else. Tsukishima couldn’t help but think fondly of this man he barely knew, who was so fond of Yamaguchi. It was very obvious to Tsukishima that he wanted to talk to Yamaguchi, so Tsukishima resolved to keep the conversation short. Daichi would be over soon, anyway.

“Pretty good. Been a bit busy, but I’m sure that’s nothing you don’t understand.” Suga laughed, grinning that award winning smile of his. Nothing about Suga screamed ‘attractive’ to Tsukishima, he had always seemed very plain. But his personality and smile lit up his features to the point that he screamed ‘perfect’ without having to even be beautiful. Naturally, of course, physical preference depended on the person and Tsukishima had a feeling Daichi thought Suga was beautiful. 

“I definitely get it.” Tsukishima responded, smiling a bit and nodding his head. Suga turned toward Yamaguchi in that moment, as if suddenly realizing he was there and deciding the conversation pertained to him too.

“Yamaguchi, you look nice today.” Suga said, sliding over a bit in his seat. Tsukishima didn’t bother pretending he was still part of the conversation. Suga had redirected his entire body toward Yamaguchi, so he tuned out the conversation in time for Daichi to come toward their table and slide Suga’s drink over to the silver haired man.

“Tsukishima, it’s nice to see you again. How have you been?” Daichi asked, his simple, dark features complimenting Suga and his much more tired voice contrasting his boyfriend’s. Something about them made Tsukishima think they were the complete opposite of each other, but after having known them for a while and having heard about them from Yamaguchi, he knew they were kindred spirits, meant to be in every way.

“I’ve been great. How about you?” Tsukishima had always hated small talk, it was just ramble that no one really wanted to hear. A real conversation included asking about specific events that had happened since they had last seen each other. Interesting experiences that were worth telling about. But he knew that Daichi wasn’t much of a deep conversationalist, though he imagined he was good at it with his close friends, strangers were another subject. Plus, small talk was how most people got comfortable with each other.

“Could be better, but you know. Life is great, there’s just a lot going on.” Daichi put his cup down on the table and rubbed his eyes with his fingers as if he could rub the tiredness out of them. Even after removing his hands from his face, dark circles still vaguely outlined his eyes an Tsukishima could tell how tired he was.

“I understand what you mean.” Tsukishima responded, involuntarily glancing sideways where Suga and Yamaguchi were having a hushed conversation. Suga was whispering earnestly to Yamaguchi, who had their face turned away from Daichi and Tsukishima and was nodding their head occasionally. Their pose alone hurt Tsukishima.

“They’re stronger than they look.” Daichi whispered, the low volume and tone of voice catching Tsukishima by surprise. He turned back to Daichi with wide eyes, making eye contact with a knowing look that he blushed at. It was too obvious, it was stupid how smitten he was. But he loved everything about Yamaguchi. Honestly, what was there not to love?

“I know, but I want them to be happy.” Tsukishima responded, staring sheepishly down at his cup as he said this. Daichi raised an eyebrow as Tsukishima spoke and took a sip from his own cup before responding.

“Did they talk to you about their pronouns?” Daichi asked, voice still hushed. It was a little silly, two hushed conversations in the corner of the café. But neither wanted to be overheard by the other, and no one else was there to eavesdrop. Tsukishima nodded.

“I walked them home a while ago.” Tsukishima responded, giving only a short explanation. He knew they didn’t want just anyone to know, but Daichi at least used them. Tsukishima wanted to tell the whole story, but knew that it was just between him and Yamaguchi. Daichi had to be curious though, he had been using the pronouns for as long as he had known Yamaguchi.

“It’s nice that they trust you enough to tell you.” Daichi said, his tone not having changed. When Tsukishima looked up again he noticed that Daichi was still smiling fondly. He didn’t even know Yamaguchi that well. Suga must care deeply for them if Daichi cared too. “I can’t lie and say I’m not curious as to the reasons, but I know it’s not my place. It’s nice that they have someone other than Hinata to talk to, though. They seem to really trust you.” Daichi added, eyes flicking toward Yamaguchi for a split second before turning back to Tsukishima.

The blonde man simply nodded, not sure what else to say. Daichi was such a nice person, it was amazing that Suga had found him. This thought struck up a chord in Tsukishima’s mind and he couldn’t help but smile lightly, raising his volume back to normal when he spoke again.

“How did you meet Suga, anyway?” This immediately caught both Yamaguchi and Suga’s attention. Yamaguchi turned slower than Suga did, but a light ignited in Suga’s gaze and he grinned from ear to ear. Daichi chuckled lightly as his boyfriend slid over and leaned heavily against his left arm. 

“You want to know the story?” Suga asked, pushing heavily into Daichi to the point that he actually pushed his boyfriend over and they both fell over onto the bench, laughing. Tsukishima rose an eyebrow and smirked in amusement. 

“You can’t tell it from down there.” He pointed out as muffled laughter continued to sound from behind the table. Daichi’s hand pressed against the table and he pushed himself up, bringing Suga with him and righting both of them before resituating their sitting positions. Suga grabbed Daichi’s hand and Tsukishima almost felt regret at the fact that he had asked. It was about to get really sappy. 

“It’s not terribly long.” Daichi started, but was cut off when Suga started telling the story.

“It was my sophomore year.” He said, grinning broadly as he began to tell it. Yamaguchi leaned over the table and rested their head in their hands, their eyes red around the edges, but otherwise lit up brighter than then they had been minutes before. 

“Two years ago.” Daichi offered up, and Suga nodded in agreement.

“Yamaguchi and I were in the courtyard just outside the art building. It was early spring and had been warming up, so we figured it would be nice to paint outside. People pass by the building all the time just because it’s so nice out there.” Suga continued, his eyes lighting up as if he were back to that day, or as if it had been yesterday.

“It was a beautiful place, right next to a park where I ate my lunch. They happened to have set up near to where Tanaka and I had sat down to eat. Suga was painting a beautiful picture of a mountain and Yamaguchi the starry sky.” Daichi piped up, filling in his own part of the story as it progressed. Tsukishima felt a pang in his heart, as if he desired to be able to tell a joint story with such gusto and nostalgia. It was beautiful more than it was gross. 

“I wasn’t quite satisfied with what I had been painting and Yamaguchi was a new student, but I wanted to ask someone if there was anything else I could add. When I asked Yamaguchi, they took a while to formulate an answer, but the strangers sitting nearby apparently had a good idea about what good art looked like.” Suga rolled his eyes, the subject clearly a heated one with Suga. Still, his eyes were alight with amusement and the look he gave Daichi made the darker man blush.

“I told him it looked fine. I, uh, don’t think I’ve offended anyone more in my life than I did Suga in that moment.” Daichi chuckled, his red cheeks turning a deeper shade as he spoke. Tsukishima’s eyes widened and he looked at sweet, innocent Suga. What had he done?

“He totally exploded on Daichi!” Yamaguchi jumped in, startling Tsukishima. Their features were more animated than they had been earlier, and Tsukishima was pleased that this story amused them enough to bring them out of the funk they had been in, even if it might be temporary. 

“It was probably both the scariest and funnies thing I have ever seen! Suga scolded him like a mom scolding a child, but with more ferocity and detail. I think Daichi wanted to die in that very moment, but his friend got a kick out of it! When Suga was done, Daichi barely managed an apology before he excused himself and dragged his friend along with him, still laughing hysterically.” Yamaguchi described the moment with energy and joy. It was clearly something that they enjoyed remembering. “In the moment I had been afraid for Daichi’s life, but it was definitely one of the funniest things I have ever experienced.” Yamaguchi finished, rubbing a tear from their eye from laughing too hard. 

Tsukishima felt the energy coming from both Suga and Yamaguchi and it was almost contagious. Even Daichi looked much more animated, despite not saying much. Tsukishima felt more energy in this story than what he had gotten from his coffee. Class was going to be amazing. 

“Tanaka insisted I had to talk to him again. He wouldn’t stop pushing it and even told a bunch of my other friends. Eventually they had about five or six people insisting I had to find this angry art student, so I did. I set out several weeks after the event in search of him. He wasn’t terribly hard to find, though, but I swear he was going to kill me when he saw me approaching.” Daichi continued the story, taking his perspective a bit to add to the story. Suga laughed at this and then cleared his throat as if he hadn’t just done that.

“Yeah, well, he told me that his friends were being really pushy and then he asked me out. I said yes, intending to embarrass him on the date because, not only had he been rude about my art, he asked me out because his friends said so.” Suga stuck his nose up a bit like a snooty rich kid, but there was still a fond look in his eyes. Lowering his head, he tilted it and looked Daichi in the eyes. “It ended up being the best date I have ever been on and we haven’t stopped since.” Suga finished and Daichi gave him a small kiss on the nose.

“I keep asking him if he’ll marry me, but he says we should wait until after college.” This news startled Tsukishima. Even with their open relationship, Daichi and Suga had to be getting a lot of crap from the world for this. Asking Suga to marry him was a huge step, even if they had been dating for two years. It was still only legal in very few parts of the country. 

“We need to save up to go somewhere we can get it done and pay for family and friends to come with. Plus, we’re both so busy with our schedules, I don’t know how we’ll work it in.” Suga explained, looking Daichi in the eyes as he said this. Tsukishima could tell that this wasn’t a man who doubted he wanted to get married, but one that knew the timing wasn’t right. 

“Yeah, I know. I just want this to be forever.” Daichi said, shoulders drooping a bit in a slightly pouty way. Suga smiled fondly and gave him a kiss and Tsukishima could see the sap getting heavier and thicker. He didn’t want to sit through this.

“That was an awesome story. Thanks for telling me guys, but I should be going to class.” Tsukishima interrupted Suga before he could say something. All three people at the table turned to stare at him as he stood, Yamaguchi’s expression now level, though their tiredness was still evident in their eyes. 

“I have to get to class to, I can walk with you.” Yamaguchi offered, flipping their sketchbook closed and slipping it into their backpack. Tsukishima waited for them as they slid out of the booth and joined him standing by the table. They both waved to Suga and Daichi before heading toward the exit and entering the chilly, snowy world outside. Tsukishima had almost forgotten it had snowed.

“Thanks for asking them about that story, Tsukki. I always love hearing it.” Yamaguchi said after they had walked several feet from the entrance. Tsukishima turned to look down at Yamaguchi, who was staring at their feet. They didn’t look up at him, so he turned his head back toward the way they were going and smiled. They seemed in a slightly better mood.

“I was actually kind of curious. It’s a pretty great story, anyway.” Tsukishima responded with a shrug, trying to seem like it wasn’t a terribly big deal even though it clearly was. Yamaguchi’s mouth turned at the corners, a sight barely visible from Tsukishima’s vantage point, but visible nonetheless. 

They walked in silence for several minutes and Tsukishima allowed Yamaguchi to lead their walk toward their class. Tsukishima actually didn’t have class for another half hour, so he figured it would be nice to walk Yamaguchi to their class. The campus was buzzing with light crowds of people getting out of classes and people going to classes. It was nice out, even with the snow. There were still clouds in the sky, but there was no snow falling. It was peaceful and all sound was muffled, making the walk calming and energizing. 

Tsukishima glanced sideways at Yamaguchi and wondered what they were thinking about. Their smile had dropped just a bit to a content expression, but they looked a bit stressed like that had earlier in Karasuno. Tsukishima didn’t want them to revert back to being stressed, he liked them when they were happy. As they walked he observed their beautiful features, complemented by the bright snow. Their tan skin and dark hair stuck out against the bright white of the snow and their freckles popped against their skin. Beauty was barely a word that could describe what Tsukishima was seeing, it was so much more. 

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi’s voice broke their silence and startled Tsukishima, who barely managed to refrain from jumping at the sudden sound of his voice. He turned to look at them, curious.

“Yeah?” He asked, watching as their hands shifted and fidgeted along the strap of their bag. They looked nervous now, not nearly as stressed. They stopped at the corner of a building, away from the other students walking and Yamaguchi turned to look Tsukishima in the eye.

“Uh….don’t you have class?” Tsukishima was a bit disappointed that this was what Yamaguchi wanted to asked, but he figured it was a bit confusing, since he had just told Daichi and Suga that he did have class.

“It’s not for a while, I figured I’d walk you to class.” He responded cooly, looking away to make himself seem less emotional, but really just to hide his blush. Yamaguchi grinned at this and then did the unexpected.

They stood on their toes and gave Tsukishima a peck on the cheek.

“I’ll be your model, Tsukki. Have a nice day!” With that, Yamaguchi disappeared into the building they had stopped by. A couple of people shot him weird looks, one glared, but most passed as if nothing had happened. 

What had just happened?

It took Tsukishima a full minute to realize that Yamaguchi had not only just kissed him, they had agreed to be his model for his photo shoot. Slowly, Tsukishima melted as if the sun were shining on only him, and then broke into a massive grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: The first photo shoot!
> 
> Don't forget to find me here:
> 
> [Fandom Blog](http://lovers-be-nerds.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Art Blog](http://willow-tea.tumblr.com/)


	9. Crying Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First photo shoot day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, second half here we come! I see Yamaguchi's outfit as looking something like [this](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=222922854). I loved writing this chapter, it was so fun! Please enjoy!

The classroom was silent save the gentle buzz of the heater in the corner and the tinny noises coming from someone’s headphones. Yamaguchi appreciated this silence because it gave them time to think. And boy did they need to think.

Staring at their canvas, they thought about the fact that they had actually agreed to be Tsukki’s model for that photo shoot of his. What had compelled them to do that? Yamaguchi had no idea and they were still wracking their brain for the reason. The thoughts that occupied their mind were so overwhelming that they couldn’t concentrate on anything. Not even painting, which usually took very little focus from the brunette.

Naturally, this didn’t escape Suga and Takeda, who had been working on their own paintings for the entire hour since class started. Takeda had done more work than Yamaguchi, which was a huge surprise since Takeda was extremely picky about what he painted. Both of the older men watched Yamaguchi dip their brush in the water for the billionth time that hour, the water still crystal clear from lack of paint but filled with bubbles from Yamaguchi’s messing with it.

When students finally began to pack up, Suga finally addressed Yamaguchi, waving a hand in front of their face to grab their attention. This made them jump and they turned to Suga, now flustered and embarrassed.

“Hey, you okay? You look really off?” Suga asked, locking eyes with Yamaguchi, his concern clearly written in the lines on his brow. Yamaguchi nodded sheepishly, looking down at their feet as they considered what to tell Suga.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind.” Yamaguchi responded, looking back up into Suga’s eyes. The older man lifted an eyebrow, his doubt obvious to Yamaguchi. Nothing got passed Suga, it was an amazing feat even his closest friends had yet to accomplish. Yamaguchi sighed and looked away, hoping that not looking in his eyes would help them focus on getting away from Suga. 

“You can trust us, Yamaguchi, we’re your friends.” Takeda rested a hand on Yamaguchi’s shoulder, making the younger jump a bit. Takeda, as a result, jumped too. Suga couldn’t hold back a bit of a snicker as both Takeda and Yamaguchi got over their fright, Yamaguchi shooting Suga a disgruntled look. 

“I’m definitely not telling you now.” Yamaguchi stated adamantly, grabbing their canvas and heading toward the drying racks to leave it there. It wasn’t wet from paint, but it was still a work in progress. It wasn’t like it was a blank canvas, it had a general background to it. They heard a small whine from behind them as Suga grabbed his own canvas and followed Yamaguchi, slipping his on the rack below Yamaguchi’s. 

“C’mon, Tadashi, I promise not to laugh at you again.” Suga pleaded, sounding like a puppy begging for a treat. It was amusing when he did this, because it wasn’t a very frequent occurrence. Daichi and Takeda had been the only other two to see Suga this way. Yamaguchi sighed, but rolled their eyes.

“Suga, we both know that’s not going to happen.” Yamaguchi pointed out, heading back to the table they had been working at to pack up the unused supplies. Suga followed as well, cleaning up his space so that the next class to use the room could have plenty of space to work. There was a scoff from Suga as he followed Yamaguchi to the bins in the back of the room where the paints were stored.

“I am hurt to think you believe that.” Suga protested, almost running into Takeda when he didn’t watch where he was going. He barely managed to stop himself right as Takeda turned around. The shorter man took a step back to avoid running into Suga and than cracked a grin himself. 

“I agree with Yamaguchi, Koushi, it would take a miracle to keep you from laughing at anyone for scaring easily.” Takeda added in, and Yamaguchi shot Suga a pointed look. The silver haired man proceeded to stick his tongue out at Yamaguchi in the most childish manner possible.

Yamaguchi dumped all their things into the bins and returned to their desk to grab their bag. Suga and Takeda grabbed their things as well, bundling up as best they could against the cold that was about to confront them. Yamaguchi was glad it was cold because the outfit they had worn was far different than what they usually wore and they were afraid Takeda or Suga would tease them about it. Even if it was friendly teasing, they would still feel uncomfortable with the comments. Still, they needed to be dressed nicely for after class. 

“No, seriously, Yamaguchi. What’s bothering you?” Suga asked as the three stepped into line with each other and exited the classroom just as the professor for the next class stepped in. Yamaguchi sighed. There was no getting anything passed either of these two, so they figured they’d better tell them.

“I agreed to be Tsukki’s model for his photo shoot.” Yamaguchi responded, looking down at their feet as they said it. They had worn their favorite pair of boots, the small heel giving them almost an entire extra inch. They were stylish enough to look good, but not enough to draw attention to them. 

“Wait, really?! That’s amazing! Why is it bugging you?” Suga asked, almost pushing Takeda out of the conversation completely. The smaller man leaned over slightly to look at Yamaguchi as they responded, his glass skewing slightly as they slid down his nose. Yamaguchi shrugged, pushing the door to the outside world open for their friends as they did so. 

“I’m just really nervous, I guess. I’ve never really considered myself beautiful, but he calls me that all the time and insists I would be perfect for his shoot. I really like him, but I still feel a little uncomfortable with this whole thing.” Yamaguchi replied, following Suga and Takeda across the snow shoveled sidewalks toward the main building where they were going to grab a quick lunch. 

“If you get too uncomfortable, just know you can tell him to stop. You know he’d understand.” Takeda offered up, almost slipping on an unshoveled section of sidewalk. Suga grabbed his arm and righted him before they took a slight right toward the entrance of the building they were heading toward. 

“Yeah, I guess he would.” Yamaguchi mused, thinking of that night Tsukki had sat in their room and learned their biggest secret. Takeda had no idea how accepting Tsukishima was, but it made Yamaguchi feel a little better knowing that Tsukki would stop of he was asked to. Still, what they were wearing was enough to make Yamaguchi feel uncomfortable. 

“Of course he would.” Takeda reassured them, giving them a small smile as he said it. Yamaguchi smiled back and was about to thank him when a loud shout came from somewhere ahead of them. 

“Yamaguchi! Suga! Takeda! Over here!” A small bundle of pure energy shouted at them from the entrance to the building they were headed towards. Hinata stood out more when the world was pure white, while Kenma almost seemed to blend in more. The two contrasted greatly; Hinata in bright right, flaming orange hair, broad grin; Kenma wearing a white jacket and light blue jeans, hair pulled into a ponytail and hidden under a white beanie, indifferent expression on his red face. For once Kenma wasn’t playing a game, his hands instead tucked into his pockets to ward off the cold. 

“Hey, Hinata. Good to see you.” Suga smiled, trotting lightly to reach the two faster. Takeda and Yamaguchi followed behind at their current pace, fine with letting Suga push ahead. They joined Hinata, Suga, and Kenma at the door and entered together, the chatty red head speaking at a million miles a minute. Despite having known Hinata for their whole life, Yamaguchi still had trouble keeping up with him and was amazed at how easily Suga did it. Hinata had a million strands of thought that all connected together somehow. One second he could be talking about one thing and the next something entirely different. 

Yamaguchi didn’t mind dropping back as Takeda took up a rather one sided conversation with Kenma as they headed toward the cafeteria area with its array of restaurants and different food options. It was warm and buzzing with life and energy that was missing entirely outside. Yamaguchi missed spring. It was their favorite season and it was sad how it just disappeared completely in the winter. No flowers, few animals, everything a single, void color. They wished it was already spring again, but they still had several months before it would come back. 

They all grabbed food from different restaurants and settled at a table near the big floor to ceiling windows. It seemed separate from the buzz of the rest of the cafeteria, which was nice, since Yamaguchi wasn’t sure how they would handle a large group of people and a lot of energy. Hinata was enough for one day.

“And it was just gwaahhh! It was so hilarious, Kageyama couldn’t avoid it!” Hinata was saying when they sat down with the rest of the group. Takeda was the only who hadn’t joined everyone yet, but there was an extra chair just for the professor. Slipping into a seat, Yamaguchi smiled fondly at their friends as they laughed at Hinata’s story, Kenma even cracking a small smile as he picked at his food. 

“How was your day, Yamaguchi?” Hinata asked, not even waiting until they were in their seat completely before addressing them. Yamaguchi smiled at their friend and shrugged.

“It was fine.” Yamaguchi responded, not really sure what Hinata was looking for. Hinata tilted his head slightly, as if this answer wasn’t acceptable.

“Really? Just fine? Nothing bothering you? Nothing amazing happened?” Hinata asked, his questions coming as if he just had them at the top of his head. It was almost as if all of Hinata’s thoughts were on the surface of his mind, nothing took him time to think of and Yamaguchi really wished they had this ability.

“Um, not really, no.” Yamaguchi lied, hesitating slightly and knowing the instant they did that they were caught. Hinata’s eyebrows rose, an expression of doubt crossing his face similar to the one Suga had given them earlier. Yamaguchi sighed, looking down at their lap as they picked at their food, eating it slowly and waiting for Hinata to ask what was bothering them.

“What’s on your mind?” Hinata asked and Yamaguchi had to smirk slightly at the uncanny ability they had to predict Hinata’s next move. He was really a very predictable person. Plus, Yamaguchi had spent years with him, so they were better at predicting his moves than anyone else. 

“Nothing really.” Yamaguchi replied, looking down at their food and taking a few bites before directing their gaze back up to Hinata, who was giving them a doubtful expression that almost seemed permanent in that moment. Sighing again, Yamaguchi looked back down at their food. “I agreed to be Tsukki’s model for the photo shoot.” Yamaguchi admitted. 

Hinata’s expression was almost as if a bomb had exploded.

“Really!? That’s awesome, Yama! I’m so happy for you! It’s going to be the best photo shoot around! I’ll make sure Tsukishima knows he can’t screw this up.” Hinata exclaimed, becoming immediately protective and threatening. Hinata knew what Yamaguchi thought about photos and people calling them beautiful. It was a common occurrence for those who didn’t know them to think they were pretty, but after years of being called ugly, Yamaguchi had a hard time believing people. 

“Yeah, he wants to meet up at the park in a little bit.” Yamaguchi admitted and all the people at the table, Takeda included as he had just dropped in on the conversation, turned and stared at them. Everyone seemed to start talking all at once, even Kenma voiced some concern Yamaguchi couldn’t hear. Immediately they ducked their head and held up their hands as if to surrender. Almost instantaneously everyone stopped talking and someone even muttered an apology.

“I understand your concern and excitement guys, but I’ll be fine. It’s just a quick photo shoot. Tsukki says he’s pretty sure this won’t be the final one anyway, he’s just getting an idea for what makes me look good.” The words sounded funny on their tongue, but it was what Tsukishima had said when he had asked to do the photo shoot. Suga and Takeda nodded in understanding and Hinata grinned.

“I’m glad you’re handling this well.” Hinata said, and Yamaguchi looked up in surprise to find Hinata with a rather relaxed look on his face. It was uncommon to see Hinata as relaxed as this, but Yamaguchi had seen it more often than anyone else. It was a good thing it had showed up now, because any other reaction and Yamaguchi would feel their emotions being undermined. They wanted to be fine with this and not worry, and Hinata not only not worrying but complimenting Yamaguchi was enough for them to feel better. 

Yamaguchi smiled and thanked Hinata and the conversation shifted. They all talked about what had happened in their days and laughing over silly jokes. Hinata had hung out with Kageyama recently and had plenty of adventurous stories to tell, most of which he laughed at fondly. It was a great thing seeing Hinata talk about someone the way he did Kageyama. Yamaguchi was glad he had someone he cared so much about.

Before long, everyone’s lunches had disappeared and their talking died down due to contented bellies. Suga got up and offered to accompany everyone to Karasuno, making Takeda blush when he mentioned seeing Ukai. Yamaguchi stood with them, but refused.

“Sorry, guys. Tsukki said we would be meeting in the park in a little bit, so I’m going to head over now.” Yamaguchi apologized, feeling butterflies flitting around in their stomach as if something had just spooked them. They were nervous about this whole thing and really afraid that it would end badly. They really liked Tsukki and hoped that they wouldn’t freak out and make him stop just because of them.

“Good luck, Yamaguchi! We’ll see you later and you can tell us how it went.” Hinata offered, waving as he turned to leave with everyone else, who also called their goodbyes to the brunette. With a deep breath, Yamaguchi turned and headed in another direction.

The entire way to the park Yamaguchi continued to doubt their decision to do this. It wasn’t going to turn out well, they kept saying, constantly arguing back that it would be fine, Tsukishima wouldn’t make it go bad. Everything would be fine, Yamaguchi kept thinking, hoping desperately that they were right.

They finally reached the park where Tsukki said they would be meeting and dropped his back on a table that had been cleared of snow. Looking around they made sure there was no one else around before unzipping their big winter coat to reveal the thick brown sweater they were wearing underneath with the winter vest overtop of it. The shirt was a common fall time shirt when they didn’t intend to see a lot of people, but with the vest it looked ready for a cold day. 

Dropping the bag onto the table with their bag, they wandered toward a small group of trees nearby, none of them much taller than they were. There boughs were coated with a thin layer of ice that made them creak when they shook.

Smiling fondly, they ran their fingers along the thin branches and listened to the protest they made when they shook. Despite their dislike of winter, there were still beautiful things about the season they could appreciate. Especially the way plants seemed to preserve themselves. 

Nearby the crunch of snow started and got louder. Yamaguchi turned at the footsteps they could tell were coming their direction, excited that Tsukkis was finally here when their heart dropped and they took a step backward, into the tree.

“Well if it isn’t the mud man himself, dressed in his favorite color, no less.” The man said, voice threatening and mocking. Yamaguchi recognized him as the same man that had fought Tsukishima in Karasuno’s entrance almost two months back. He was immediately frightened, hoping desperately Tsukishima would show up soon.

“Where’s your friend, muddy? Not here to protect you.” The man sneered, advancing as a few of his friends came into view behind him, immediately smirking along with him. Yamaguchi backed further into the tree behind them but had nowhere to go and no way to outrun any of these goons.

C’mon, muddy, don’t just stare at me. Speak.” The man hissed, advancing far too close for comfort. Yamaguchi couldn’t avoid his gaze no matter how desperately they wanted to. They opened their mouth to say something, but no words came out.

“Speak up, I can’t hear you.” The man said, pressing his chest up against Yamaguchi. They tried to back away but were pressed up against one of the sturdier of the little trees and had nowhere to go.

“N-no, he’s n-not here.” They stuttered, frightened that there were three of them and they were alone without Tsukishima to help. Even if Tsukki couldn’t take all three, it would be nice to at least not to handle this alone. The one pressed up against them rolled his eyes and looked at his two buddies, who stepped back a bit.

Then he threw Yamaguchi to the ground.

With a solid thud, Yamaguchi’s shoulder hit solid ground beneath soft snow. They grunted in pain as the man approached again, kicking them in the side. With a groan Yamaguchi thanked whoever it was that created good luck and bad luck because at least they weren’t kicked in the face. Their side was at least covered and they wouldn’t worry Tsukki with this. 

“Looks like you’ll have to pay for what he did, then” The man hissed, kicking a spray of snow at Yamaguchi and laughing when they flinched. Snow landed across their face and torso, melting almost instantly against their warm skin. It soaked into their sweater and turned it from warm to cold. The other two men joined in and soon Yamaguchi was soaked to the bone and left on the cold, hard ground.

“Let him know we stopped by.” With this the man spat and walked away. His friends joined him, cackling like stupid goons from movies with super villains. It wasn’t until the crunching of the snow died out completely that Yamaguchi finally stopped clutching their side. After what felt like another minute they finally got up, pushing against the ground and standing shakily.

The first thing they noticed was how wet they were. 

Melted snow had drenched them in cold water that sat against their warm skin, turning it cold. They shakily pulled their gloves off to find their fingers turning blue. Silently they choked out a sob, shuffling toward the picnic table where they had left their bag and jacket. At least that was dry. They could get away with looking wet and they put their jacket on after the shoot. That would work.

Wearily Yamaguchi sat down, feeling their side tenderly and flinching when they pressed the spot that was bruising. It was going to be very purple and blue later, but right now it was just sensitive and cold, kind of numb from the wet sweater. With a sigh, they bowed their head, wishing they had never come to the photo shoot in the first place. Why had they ever agreed to this?

Right as these thoughts crossed their mind more crunching came from the direction the men had disappeared in. Immediately Yamaguchi’s head snapped up but they were pleased to find it was Tsukishima, instead of the men back for more. 

“Tsukki, it’s good to see you.” They smiled, trying very hard to look as normal as they possibly could. Tsukishima was red in the face and panting hard as if he had just run a mile. A camera was slung around his neck and a bag was on his back. He wore solid black and stood out against the surreal white of the landscape. 

“Sorry I’m late, I got out of class late and then Kuroo held me up and….Are you okay? You look soaked.” Tsukishima paused right in front of Yamaguchi as they looked up at him, a smile still on their face. Playing the ‘okay’ game, they looked down at their clothes and noticed that they did look wet, darker from the water seeping into them. Shrugging, they directed their gaze back up.

“I’m dry. These are just naturally this color.” Yamaguchi responded, getting up off the bench successfully without flinching. This might be harder than they thought, but the first thing was to convince Tsukishima that they were fine.

“Are you sure?” Tsukishima asked, slinging his bag off his shoulders and dropping it beside Yamaguchi’s. Yamaguchi nodded, broadening their smile and rolling their eyes as if Tsukki was silly to persist.

“Of course, Tsukki. C’mon, don’t you want to get started?” Yamaguchi asked, backing around the table with the best seductive face they could muster in their pain. It worked, apparently, because Tsukishima followed them like a puppy coming after a treat, his camera in his hands. Absently he removed the cap, which was attached to the camera by a string. It dangled off the camera as Tsukishima lifted the black object to his face and began to snap images.

Immediately, Yamaguchi flinched, the sound of the camera startling them. Tsukishima lowered the camera and gave them another concerned look.

“Are you one hundred percent sure you’re fine? We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Tsukishima offered, stopping where he was as Yamaguchi came to one of the small trees where the men had confronted him. They smiled, glad that Tsukishima really did care as much as he did. 

“It’s fine, Tsukki. I agreed to this, I can do it.” Part of saying this was Yamaguchi attempting to convince themselves that it was true. It was apparently enough for Tsukishima, who lifted the camera again and began taking more pictures, not saying much except the occasional direction. 

After several more pictures and a few poses Yamaguchi felt embarrassed to be seen doing, Tsukishima dropped the camera and looked Yamaguchi over.

“Where did you get that outfit? It’s beautiful.” Tsukishima asked, looking Yamaguchi over another time as the brunette shuffled awkwardly where they stood. It was actually a mix and match of old and new stuff they had had for a while now.

“Well, the sweater was a gift from Hinata last Christmas. The vest I got on sale several years ago. It used to be huge on me.” They chuckled at the recollection of their finding it. It was the coolest thing they had ever seen and they had wanted it so badly they had bought it, even if the smallest size was too big. Now it was perfect.” The boots I got for my birthday two years ago from my mom.” They responded, looking down at their favorite boots. 

Tsukishima smiled, looking Yamaguchi over yet again. His eyes froze around Yamaguchi’s waist and he began to approach, making Yamaguchi take a step back. Immediately Tsukishima froze in his place, a pained expression on his face.

“Do you have gloves? Your fingers look cold.” He pointed out, his words acting like an explanation for why he had approached so suddenly. Yamaguchi felt bad that they had reacted like that to Tsukki, but was afraid of him coming too close.

“Oh, they’re on the table. My hands were fine when I got here. I thought maybe they would look funny in the photo shoot.” They offered, hoping desperately that Tsukki would agree and drop the subject. He watched as the tall blonde turned to look at the table where Yamaguchi’s gloves sat on the edge of the wood near the fluffy winter jacket. 

“You make a good point.” Tsukishima offered, turning back toward Yamaguchi would had to try very hard to refrain from visibly relaxing. “But we’ll finish quickly so you can put them and your jacket back on. With your exposed shoulders, I don’t want you to get too cold.”

Yamaguchi had to refrain from crying out of joy and sadness. Tsukishima was being so considerate, but they were already soaked and starting to feel shivers running down their spine. If they began to shiver they would draw Tsukishima’s attention and Tsukki would try to warm them up and then he would know. Hopefully they could finish the shoot before their lips turned blue.

“Thanks, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi said, smiling genuinely this time. They were so thankful to have someone like Tsukishima to help, but didn’t want to make him worry. He had done enough already in respect to how people treated Yamaguchi. Why people still held the whole mud thing against them, they didn’t know, but they didn’t want Tsukishima to get too mixed up in it. Those goons had already been looking for Tsukishima to pay him back.

The two continued the shoot for another several minutes and Yamaguchi managed to keep from shivering too hard, but then Tsukishima started to get closer. Yamaguchi immediately fell out of the acting Tsukishima had said was doing well for the shoot.

“Why are you getting so close?” Yamaguchi asked, taking a step back when Tsukishima advanced anyway. What if he got too close? What if he noticed the slightly blue tinge Yamaguchi’s shoulders were taking? Their lips were bound to be blue and that was hard to miss from up close.

“I wanted to get a good shot of your freckles.” Tsukishima admitted, sounding a bit hesitant. Yamaguchi felt themselves beginning to choke on a sob, but attempted to hold it back, instead protesting.

“It’s fine, Tsukki. You don’t need to get that close. We’re good, you have enough photos, right?” Yamaguchi asked, flinching when Tsukishima took another step closer. The tall man stopped again, creasing his brows and looking both hurt and concerned.

“I was just hoping to get a good shot of your freckles. They’re really pretty, you know.” Tsukishima responded.

All at once, Yamaguchi broke down.

A sob escaped their throat as their knees gave out from underneath them and they dropped with a soft thwump into the snow. Immediately Tsukishima joined them, hesitating with a hand over their back as if not sure to try and comfort them. 

“I’m sorry, I thought you had gotten more comfortable about the subject. I won’t do that again, I promise, but please get up, you’re going to get soaked.” Tsukishima insisted, leaning down into a crouch so his knees weren’t touching the ground but so that he was close to Yamaguchi’s level. The brunette stifled a sob and shook their head.

“I’m already soaked, Tsukki. This isn’t what color my clothes usually are, they’re soaked.” Yamaguchi sobbed, dropping their face into their hands and feeling the bitter cold in the appendages. They felt Tsukishima’s hand against their back and heard him gasp.

“Why did you lie? What happened that you’re so soaked?” Tsukishima asked, pressing his warm body closer to Yamaguchi’s so that the brunette could feel his warmth through their wet clothes. His body was so comforting that Yamaguchi involuntarily leaned into it, allowing the tall man to wrap long arms around their shoulders.

“I-I didn’t want to worry y-you.” Yamaguchi sobbed, pressing their face into his chest and breathing hard. They hoped they weren’t getting him too wet, they didn’t want him to be cold too.

“I care about you, it’s only natural that I worry about you. What happened that you’re so soaked?” Tsukishima asked, pressing Yamaguchi closer to his chest and letting the smaller of the two feel his heat. Yamaguchi only shook their head, though, refusing to speak. Tsukishima began rocking back and forth and Yamaguchi felt at home in his arms, glad to have someone to worry about them. Why had they wanted to be so secretive? Of course Tsukishima cared, Takeda could even tell he cared. 

After several minutes Yamaguchi felt themselves calming down and the sobs wracking their body slowly stop. Tsukishima gradually quite rocking and pulled back to look at Yamaguchi’s red face.

“What happened?” He asked softly. Yamaguchi looked way, but they explained about the men that had happened upon them and how they had pushed him around a bit because they were angry at Tsukki. As they knew it would, Tsukishima was furious and stood so abruptly, Yamaguchi almost fell backward into the snow from the force.

“Those idiots! Where’d they go?” Tsukishima asked, turning to see Yamaguchi pushing themselves to their feet so they were standing with Tsukki. Yamaguchi gave him a concerned look, wiping the rest of the tears from their face.

“Tsukki, don’t even think about going after them. It won’t solve any problems, only cause more. Plus, they’re too far gone at this point.” Yamaguchi responded, hobbling over toward the table where they had left their things. They grabbed their winter coat and slid it over their cold, wet shoulders, zipping it all the way to their chin and snuggling deeply into it.

They grabbed their gloves and shoved them into an empty pocket in their backpack, turning to Tsukki as they threw the bag over their shoulders. The tall man was still fuming, but turned and stormed to the table where he angrily grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulders. Without hesitation, he grabbed Yamaguchi’s hand and tugged him along.

“C’mon, I’m taking you home.” Tsukishima grumbled, making Yamaguchi laugh a little bit. It was endearing, the way Tsukki cared, but he needn’t care so much. Those men would probably not show up again, so Yamaguchi was safe and Tsukki didn’t need to worry.

The walk home helped Yamaguchi warm up a bit, though Tsukishima’s hand certainly did help a lot. As they walked, the blonde seemed to cool off a bit, walking beside Yamaguchi instead of angrily ahead of them as if they needed to be home as soon as possible. They didn’t say anything as they drew nearer to Yamaguchi’s apartment, but Yamaguchi was glad Tsukki had walked with them. 

They slowed to a stop once they reached the apartment where Yamaguchi lived, standing outside the door as if waiting for it to open for them. This pause only lasted a moment as Yamaguchi rummaged in their jacket pocket for the key, finding it pretty quickly. They slipped it into the door and opened it, finding the lights off and the place silent. The only sounds were those of the heaters running to keep the apartment warm. 

“Looks like Hinata’s not back yet.” Yamaguchi pointed out, dropping his bag on the couch near the door and turning to face Tsukishima in the doorway. The taller man still looked a little frustrated, but otherwise it was just his general resting face. 

“Tsukki, stop worrying. They probably won’t be back, so you don’t have to think about it anymore.” Yamaguchi reassured, but this didn’t seem to calm Tsukishima down anymore than it had a little bit ago. Yamaguchi sighed, disappointed that they couldn’t get Tsukishima to stop worrying so much. It was kind of a good thing, that he cared so much for them, but they weren’t used to so much affection. 

There was a moment of awkward silence where Tsukishima just stared angrily off at the window beside the door. Yamaguchi was tempted to just say goodbye and close it, but Tsukishima turned his head before they could go through with it.

“I want to worry about you, Yamaguchi, and you can’t stop me.” Tsukishima insisted, grabbing Yamaguchi’s hand roughly and tugging them closer until he had them drawn into a big bear hug. Yamaguchi was shocked at first, eyes going wide, mouth agape. It didn’t take long for this to change to amusement and they began to laugh into Tsukishima’s shoulder, enjoying his warmth for a bit longer.

“Is there anything I can do for you before I go?” Tsukishima asked, his warm breath seeping into Yamaguchi’s shoulder. Yamaguchi chuckled lightly, shaking their head.

“No, you’re fine. Go home, warm up. I’m sure you’re cold too.” Yamaguchi said, giving Tsukishima one more squeeze before they began to pull away from Tsukishima and head back inside. Only they were stopped.

A firm hand pressed against the back of their head. Another against their lower back, keeping them trapped against Tsukishima’s warmth. Fingers laced into their hair before they realized there was a heat stronger than anything they had ever felt before coursing through their face, starting from their lips.

Tsukishima was kissing them.

All thought rushed out of Yamaguchi’s head as they felt the warmth of Tsukishima’s lips against theirs. His body pressed against theirs spread warmth as well, flowering from every point of contact throughout their entire body. Eventually, they were so warm, they simply melted into it, pulling Tsukishima closer, hoping that maybe it would last longer if they drew him in.

There wasn’t much to it other than two pairs of lips pressed together, though Yamaguchi had watched their fair share of romance movies and had seen many a couple kiss passionately for the first time.

This was entirely different. It was soft, didn’t move very much, but held more passion than any movie could ever portray. It was warm and welcoming and forgiving and grateful. Tsukishima Kei was kissing them and they didn’t feel scared or worried that they might get picked on for it later because they were alone. The entire world disappeared for a moment that felt like eternity and they were pretty sure they were never going to leave it until Tsukishima drew back and they felt themselves going into immediate withdrawal.

Amber eyes locked with golden ones and for a moment, the two froze there, lost in each other’s gazes. Then Yamaguchi woke up.

“Oh…” They started, realizing that Tsukishima Kei had just kissed him. Tsukki had kissed their frozen, purple lips with enough passion to return them to their usual pinkish hue and they had returned the kiss with a near hunger, as if they had been starving for this. Yamaguchi felt themselves turning red at a rapid pace and they suddenly jumped back into their apartment and out of Tsukishima’s arms. 

“Uh…well, um, thanks, Tsukki. I’ll….I’ll see you later.” They said, immediately slamming the door shut, regretting every action after the kiss the instant it happened. They had just slammed the door in his face! How stupid were they?! To kiss him back and then immediately slam the door in his face? Ugh! They silently wished the world would swallow them whole.

But they also wished Tsukki would walk into their apartment and do it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: It's the most wonderful time of the year!
> 
> [Fandom Blog](http://lovers-be-nerds.tumblr.com/)  
> [Art Blog](http://willow-tea.tumblr.com/)


	10. Christmas Concerns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo throws a Christmas party and Tsukishima figures things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have Christmas in the middle of summer, my friends, you're welcome! This was a fun one to write. Also, apologies for taking so long, I got really distracted by something last week, but I'm back on track!

Something about getting up in the morning had gotten harder. Tsukishima pushed himself up into a sitting position on his bed and rubbed his hands down his face. The early morning light trickled lazily through his blinds, coaxing him back to sleep. He so desperately wanted to listen to them, but knew that missing class was a bad idea. 

With that, he pushed himself out of the bed, slid his glasses onto his face, and then rummaged through drawers, looking for something to wear. The early morning light filtering in through the blinds was all he had to go off of, but it was enough to find him a shirt and some pants. Tsukishima dressed himself as quickly as his groggy body would allow, throwing the shirt over his head, almost knocking his glasses off his face in the process.

Once he was dressed he grabbed his shoes and swung his backpack over his shoulder, pushing his way into the rest of the apartment to the silence of the morning. Kuroo was still fast asleep, but that didn’t concern Tsukishima. After his photo shoot with Yamaguchi he had felt less and less interested in what his friends did. How could Yamaguchi put up with something like that for so long? Why had they reacted to the kiss like that? Was it bad? It had certainly felt amazing. Better than any kiss Tsukishima Kei had ever had. 

These thoughts and more raced through Tsukishima’s head as he readied himself that morning. They raced through his head for several days previous as he went about his life. Yamaguchi had managed to avoid him for a couple of days and they had yet to talk since the kiss. It worried Tsukishima, who rarely worried. It was enough to concern Hinata, but he had been assured by Kuroo that it was just Tsukishima being Tsukishima. 

“He’s naturally standoffish, Hinata, or don’t you remember?” He had quipped, shooting the small ball of energy a sly smirk before turning to Bokuto to ask him something. Hinata had huffed at the taller man, but had turned and allowed it to pass. 

After a couple of days with nothing from Yamaguchi, Tsukishima was getting more and more worried. He was afraid that the kiss had been the wrong move. But Yamaguchi had been beautiful that day, despite being soaked to the bone, their tan skin almost shining, their brown hair and freckles contrasting against the lighter surroundings. 

Tsukishima just needed to kiss them.

Slipping a couple of pop tarts out of their sleeves he popped them into the toaster before slipping his shoes on and tying the laces tightly. He had to make it through yet another day, but he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to focus. They would be informing their professor of their model choice and shoot theme in class and Tsukishima wasn’t entirely sure how the class was going to react to hearing Yamaguchi’s name. 

There were a lot of people who knew about the jokes about Yamaguchi, but Tsukishima had never brought Yamaguchi up to anyone in class. Then again, he never spoke to anyone in class. He generally tried to avoid it. 

The pop tarts finished with a click, making Tsukishima jump a bit. He sighed at himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He needed to get a hold on himself or he was going to be jumpy all day and he was never jumpy.

Grabbing the pop tarts he glanced at the clock and realized it was later than usual. Cursing under his breath he snatched his bag and raced from the apartment and toward class. There would be no stopping at Karasuno before class, he was running really late. He was barely able to stuff the burning hot pop tarts into his mouth as he ran, nearly choking a couple of times and getting concerned looks from the students he hurried by.

The snow covering the ground made it harder to walk quickly, but Tsukishima was able to keep up a good enough fast walk that he arrived to class just before the professor. Students were seated in nearly every chair, but the desk he usually sat at was empty. Silently thanking nothing, he headed over to the seat and slipped in as the professor entered the room, calling the class to attention and apologizing for being late. 

“Alright, class. We’re going to start out by announcing models and themes. We’ve been talking a lot about how to decide on a good model and a theme that matches the model or vice versa. I hope you took a lot of time to think about who your model was going to be based on your theme. After today we will start working on how to properly execute a photo shoot so that it looks professional. Let’s start at the front and work our way back.” The professor announced, gesturing in a squiggly snake line to indicate how the task was going to go.

Tsukishima was glad that he was closer to the back but not very last, watching as other students announced the names of their models and their relation to the person. Many of the men near the front admitted to their model being their girlfriend or a cousin that insisted on doing it. A couple of the girls said they were using their boyfriends, but a few said they had chosen their brothers or their brothers’ best friends. The professor didn’t linger very long on reasoning behind that person, just jotting down on the computer at the front of the room who the model was and what the theme for the shoot would be.

“Tsukishima, you’re up.” The professor mumbled, not paying very much attention as he finished typing the theme of the student sitting in front of Tsukishima. Looking up to the front, Tsukishima waited for the professor to finish typing before he spoke.

“My model’s name is Yamaguchi Tadashi.” He spoke as clearly as he could manage, hoping the confidence was as strong as it sounded. There were still snickers and gasps around the room, students whispering. Maybe more people knew about Yamaguchi than he thought.

“Any relation?” The professor asked, really only asking as he attempted to finish typing, which he seemed to be having trouble with.

“Just a friend.” Tsukishima responded, hoping it didn’t come off as disappointed. He knew Yamaguchi didn’t like him that way, they wanted to only be friends with him. It was upsetting, but he didn’t want to force anything onto the beautiful brunette. 

“Mhm. Theme?” The professor continued, looking at up, ignoring the whispers throughout the classroom. A few more people snickered and a couple called out.

“Mud!” One whisper shouted, loud enough for the entire room to hear in the silence that followed the professors question. There were a couple of laughs, but Tsukishima attempted to ignore them, opening his mouth to respond when someone else called out. 

“Child of the Earth!” This one got a few more snickers and someone coughed as they attempted not to laugh after taking a drink from their water bottle. Tsukishima narrowed his eyes and looked straight forward, avoiding turning toward the sounds of the students around him.

“Tsukishima?” The professor prompted, his expression reading apologetic as he awaited Tsukishima’s answer. 

“Stars.” Tsukishima finally got out, earning several scoffs from around the room. He heard someone whisper to a friend behind him about it being too romantic for the mud child and Tsukishima had to restrain himself from turning around and punching them. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of his desk and the professor nodded.

“That’s a good motif, but try thinking of a theme. Maybe a full sentence, a quote you like about the stars.” He suggested, words he had said two or three times to other students whose themes hadn’t been specific enough. It was the same as an English theme, but Tsukishima hadn’t thought too clearly on a theme and the stars had just come to him. He nodded his head in understanding and the professor moved onto the next student. 

Despite the continuation to the rest of the room, there were still whispers and snickers among the students. Someone whispered ‘pig’ in Tsukishima’s direction and someone else whispered ‘mud king’. Never in his life had Tsukishima ever been subject to childish teasing, his standoffish demeanor putting most people off of talking to him in general, but this was ridiculous.

“Class, if you could please quiet down so I can hear what everyone is saying. Thank you.” He has barely finished speaking before Tsukishima was grabbing his bag and sweeping his way out of the classroom in an angry storm. Several people laughed obviously, many more snickered but tried hiding it. Tsukishima ignored them and left the room, clenching his jaw and trying very hard not to punch someone in the face.

The hallways outside were empty except the occasional student doing homework on the benches lining the walls. Tsukishima worked his jaw as he stormed toward the exit to the building, trying to calm his temper as he did so. By the time he reached the doors and was out on the sidewalk he had cooled off considerably. 

Just seeing the clean white snow surrounding the building, Tsukishima couldn’t stay angry long. He took in a deep, bitter breath and let it out, holding in a cough as the dry air froze his throat. It was a refreshing breath to take and he felt much more calm now that he was outside.

Without thinking he started toward Karasuno, realizing that there was no way he was going back into the classroom after that. Why did these college students act like immature teenagers? They all knew better than to tease someone like they were in elementary school again. Still, they knew how to work Tsukishima up and it angered him to think that they now knew he weak spot. 

His mind ran on high speed as he headed toward Karasuno and he arrived before he had even noticed. The familiar building relaxed his nerves and, with a deep breath, he entered the familiar shop. 

There were a few people sitting around, chatting and drinking coffee and eating pastries. Other than these people the room was generally quiet, the content kind of buzz the place deserved first thing in the morning. Letting out a breath, Tsukishima approached the front counter, which was empty, as if no one was in work. Just as he reached the cash register, though, Ukai appeared from the back room.

“Tsukishima! This is an odd time of day! I thought you had class.” Ukai said, holding a small box of sugar packets and creamers. Tsukishima nodded his head and rubbed his hands down his face. He had been up for no longer than an hour and he had already lost hope in humanity. 

“Yeah, well, it didn’t go so well.” Tsukishima muttered, watching absently as Ukai walked over to the self serve counter and dumped the sugar packets into one container and the creamers into another. 

“What do you mean? What happened?” Ukai asked, breaking down the box that had been carrying the sugars and creamers and tossing it in a bin somewhere beneath the counter. He reached the register and began ringing Tsukishima up, despite the blonde not having said anything about ordering the usual. Ukai knew him so well. 

“The professor wanted to know our models and themes.” Tsukishima replied, keeping it simple. Ukai knew what was up with Yamaguchi, he had been there when Tsukishima had punched that goon that had the gall to make fun of them. At this Ukai groaned and Tsukishima had to do nothing more than nod and the older man understood. 

“Whatever happened to maturity?” Ukai asked, taking Tsukishima’s card as it was offered him. He slid it down the machine and then handed it back before shaking his head and letting out a sigh. 

“Well, who cares what they think, anyway? You like him, don’t you?” Ukai asked, turning around and starting Tsukishima’s cup himself. Hinata must have been in the back working on more pastries. Tsukishima looked away in attempts to hide the blush creeping up his neck toward his cheeks. He was absolutely terrible at hiding his feelings but that didn’t make it any more comfortable to talk about them to someone, even a friend.

“But Yamaguchi still gets picked on. They hate the way they’re treated but they won’t do anything about it.” Tsukishima complained, his anger taking over his tone as he spoke. Ukai began pouring coffee into a cup as he thought, pushing the lever back up as soon as he was done and letting out a sigh.

“Yeah, well, that’s difficult to change. Only Yamaguchi can fix that, so you’re just going to have to be patient.” Ukai responded, turning around and handing Tsukishima the cup. Sometimes he liked it black, sometimes he added a creamer or a bit of sugar, but he generally wasn’t one for sweet coffee. 

“I just wish I could help.” Tsukishima muttered, looking into the coffee for a bit. It was black, but reflective. He could see his own face in its moving surface, the ripples interrupting the picture as if he had bad reception. 

“You can. Keep encouraging him and supporting him. That’s what good boyfriends do.” Ukai responded, leaning on an elbow over the counter. Tsukishima’s head whipped up, his face red and eyes wide at what Ukai had said.

“I’m not his boyfriend.” He corrected, surprised that Ukai had assumed as much. They spent a lot of time together, sure, but they had never been explicitly intimate around their friends. Ukai’s eyes grew wide as well, clearly surprised that this was Tsukishima’s response.

“Really? Sorry about that, I just assumed….” Ukai’s sentence faded off at the end and his hands waved absently in the air as if he was trying to say more but couldn’t find the words. Tsukishima sighed and looked back into the cup before popping the lid on the top and taking a scalding sip. Today was a no effort day. 

“We have kissed.” Tsukishima muttered absently, lips barely leaving the edge of the cup before he said this. Ukai grinned wide and patted Tsukishima roughly on the shoulder, laughing loudly.

“Then you’re almost there!” He laughed, grinning widely, his attitude a bit too cheery for the hour of the day. Tsukishima sneered at his cup and gave a weak shrug. 

“I don’t know. They didn’t receive it very well.” Tsukishima explained, taking another sip of coffee as he watched Ukai’s expression fold into confusion. The blonde of Ukai’s hair had always been a bit harsh on Tsukishima’s eyes, but it appeared to be fading a bit near the roots where it had grown out. A light brown shone almost copper from these spots.

“Did he kiss back?” Ukai asked, leaning back over the counter and raising an eyebrow. Tsukishima hadn’t noticed, but Ukai’s eyebrows were a darker brown than his roots. All three colors made for an interesting combination.

“Yeah….” Tsukishima felt himself heat up at the memory of the kiss. It had been hot and passionate and not something Tsukishima had done in a long time. It had almost been enough for him to want more than just a kiss. However, he not only knew better, he also had been entirely shut out.

“That’s all you need, then!” Ukai exclaimed right as Hianta appeared from the back with a tray of hot pastries, goofy looking oven mitts over his hands. 

“Tsukishima!” The ginger exclaimed, slipping the treats into the display case as he said it. For a second he disappeared as he rearranged the goodies and Tsukishima groaned a bit, looking back at Ukai before responding.

“They kind of slammed the door in my face.” Tsukishima muttered, hoping Hinata wouldn’t hear him speak or would disappear into the backroom again. Ukai cringed at this news and looked down as if in thought for a second. Hinata popped up from the display case and grinned stupidly in Tsukishima’s direction before disappearing into the back again with his tray. 

“You know what, don’t read too much into it. Yamaguchi’s always seemed really shy anyway, maybe it just startled him?” Ukai suggested as Tsukishima took another drink, the coffee much cooler than it had been earlier. He hummed in acknowledgment of Ukai’s words, but didn’t feel entirely committed to the response. 

“Maybe.” Tsukishima muttered, looking around as a couple of customers entered the shop. They were going to want to order and Tsukishima had to go anyway. “I’m going to go home before my next class. I’ll see you later, Ukai.” Tsukishima added on, lifting a tired hand as he turned to go. Ukai called a small goodbye as he did so before turning to the new customers and welcoming them. 

The weather outside was just as Tsukishima had left it, cold and bitter. No one was walking aimlessly about the streets, but there were a couple of people hustling toward their destinations. Tsukishima was grateful for Karasuno’s close proximity to his apartment complex, as he was able to make it home quickly. He still had about an hour before his next class started, so he figured he would say hi to Kuroo and then leave.

As he approached their apartment, the door opened and Kuroo stepped out with a basket in his arms. It was piled high with laundry and looked ready to tip. Kuroo stopped in his tracks when he saw Tsukishima. At first his expression was excited but then it changed to confusion and concern.

“What are you doing home? Don’t you have class?” Kuroo asked, meeting up with Tsukishima partway across the walkway. Tsukishima grunted a noncommittal noise and shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee and emptying it completely. 

“I did. They were…making fun of Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima muttered and understanding lit across Kuroo’s face. He nudged his roommate with his basket and gestured with his head for Tsukishima to follow.

“Well, it’s a good thing I was doing a laundry run. We can talk about those jerks while I wash.” Kuroo offered, heading toward the stairs and the laundry room below. Tsukishima followed him voluntarily, glad Kuroo was up for talking. It wasn’t often that Tsukishima Kei felt the need to spill his heart out to anyone, but if it had to be someone, it would be Kuroo or Ukai. Or Yamaguchi. Unless it was about Yamaguchi.

They headed down the stairs and took a right down the slightly covered sidewalk toward the door labeled laundry room. Tsukishima opened the door for Kuroo, who thanked him and joked about how convenient that Tsukishima had shown up at the right time, or he would have never been able to open the door himself. 

As the dark haired man set his basket down and began loading a washer, he addressed the subject without even looking up.

“So, everyone in your photography class knows about Yamaguchi’s long standing nickname?” Kuroo asked and Tsukishima nodded before remembering that Kuroo wasn’t facing him.

“Yeah. The professor asked for the names of our models and our themes and the entire class reacted when I said Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima responded. He looked down at his feet as Kuroo drizzled laundry soap over the clothes and tossed the cup into the load after. He shut the lid and turned toward the dryer right beside it and pulled open the door. 

“They’re all idiots and it doesn’t matter what they think. You like him, don’t you?” Kuroo asked, pulling piles of clothes out of the dryer and dropping them into the basket. Sometimes it was amazing how much the machines held, but they held quite a lot. 

“I…I do.” Tsukishima hesitated, realizing how uncomfortable this might have been for Kuroo. Still, the older man didn’t seem to even flinch and continued what he was doing. As soon as the dryer was empty, Kuroo stood straight and looked Tsukishima in the eye.

“Then go for it!” He exclaimed, leaning down immediately after and lifting the basket as if there wasn’t about a thousand pounds of clothes in the basket. Tsukishima sighed and looked at his feet, making no move toward the door. Kuroo lifted an eyebrow at him. 

“I kissed them a few nights ago.” Tsukishima started, earning a loud gasp from Kuroo. He knew if Kuroo hadn’t been holding the basket he would offer a high five. “But they slammed the door in my face.” Tsukishima continued before Kuroo could say anything else. Kuroo scoffed and nudged Tsukishima toward the door.

“Please, he’s smitten. You two are attached whenever you’re together.” Kuroo seemed to not even bat an eye at Tsukishima’s words. Just like Ukai, he brushed it off as if it was nothing, but Tsukishima didn’t think it was nothing. 

“Why did they slam the door, then?” Tsukshima asked, opening the laundry room door for Kuroo as he said it. Kuroo shrugged and pushed his way precariously through the exit. 

“You probably startled him. Kenma says he hasn’t been in a serious relationship in, like, ever. He probably has no idea what’s going on.” Kuroo suggested, something about his words lifting Tsukishima’s spirit. No serious relationship? Tsukishima had been in a serious relationship only once, but it had been enough to know what it felt like and what to expect. If Yamaguchi had no idea what a serious relationship entailed, that would explain why they were so jumpy around intimacy. 

“Maybe. But I don’t know how to bring it up with them.” Tsukishima admitted. Sure, he had experience in a serious relationship, but he had been in countless one night stands that ended in total disaster and a new enemy. What was he supposed to do? He had never handled a relationship virgin before. 

“How about this? We’ll have a Christmas party at the commons here and you guys can talk there. It’ll be packed with everyone we know, so it won’t be awkward. We’ll give you some space so no one listens in.” Kuroo sounded suddenly pumped about the idea. Tsukishima knew it wasn’t because Yamaguchi would start talking to him again, but that it was a party. Parties were Kuroo’s favorite form of get together. 

“Yeah, sure, we can have a party.” Tsukishima agreed, not sure if the idea of talking about something so delicate in a large group was actually a good idea. Still, Kuroo was excited to have the party and all their other friends would be there and that included Akaashi, Suga, and Daichi. 

“Seriously!? You want to have a party!?” Kuroo exclaimed. If it wasn’t for the basket in his arms, Tsukishima was sure he would be jumping from wall to wall. 

“Yeah, sure.” Tsukishima suddenly started to regret saying yes as he watched Kuroo bounce toward their apartment, only to get stopped when he couldn’t get the door opened. He immediately began talking a mile a minute about how the party was going to go and what was going to happen and who was going to be there. It was amusing, but Tsukishima feared for his life in the next couple of weeks. 

\----

The party was on Christmas Eve, and Kuroo insisted it be as close to midnight as possible. The commons are at their apartment complex only allowed until eleven at night, but Kuroo decided there would be an after party in their apartment. 

Since school had been out for the last week and a half, Tsukishima hadn’t had much opportunity to run into Yamaguchi, especially since they had also not shown up at Karasuno for a while. Tsukishima wasn’t sure if he was fine with that or worried that it would make it harder to talk to them when the party finally rolled around. Either way, he was anxious for the party to happen, and that was the first time that had ever happened.

Bokuto, Kuroo, and Akaashi were all there to set up, Tsukishima pitching in here and there when they noticed he was slacking off. They had been required by Kuroo to wear Christmas sweaters, the uglier the better, and Tsukishima had just found the worst sweater he could imagine. According to Kuroo it wasn’t really ugly, just rude.

It was ten minutes before the party was scheduled to start and the large room near the office of the complex was decked out in green and red decorations, a small Christmas tree tucked into a corner as decoration, and tables filled with snacks and goodies. Kuroo had enlisted Ukai as the cook for the night despite the man’s protests. Apparently he made some mean potatoes, but Tsukishima had no idea what that meant. 

Kuroo and Bokuto had worked together to get the snacks and Tsukishima had, reluctantly, provided the drinks. There was sparkling cider and punch and a few harder drinks for the particularly frisky. It looked pretty nice, for a party set up.

The first to arrive was Hinata with Kageyama. They insisted they had just happened to run into each other outside, but Tsukishima was disgusted to find that he didn’t believe them. They continued to bicker as Suga and Daichi showed up with Yamaguchi, joining Tsukishima just as Ukai stepped in with the help of a friend Tsukishima hadn’t met before. He was shorter than Ukai, wore glasses, and had thick, dark brown hair. 

Kuroo was more than willing to let the man join the party and even agreed to letting the man bring his girlfriend if he wanted. Offering thanks, he disappeared after helping Ukai set up the food to go get her. 

Yamaguchi stood with Suga and Daichi as they talked with Tsukishima, but they didn’t say much, just looked around at the party as if unsure of how to handle it. The last to show up were Kenma and Takeda, who both said they had also happened upon each other outside. Kuroo took little time in believing this and offering Kenma a drink before dragging him off to a different side of the room. 

“I hear from Kuroo that you were okay with the idea of a party.” Ukai chimed in, jumping into the circle that consisted of Tsukishima, Suga, Daichi, and a spaced out Yamaguchi. Suga and Daichi grinned, amused by this idea, and Tsukishima nodded.

“I figured it would be nice.” He muttered, not sure how to say what he actually hoped to accomplish at the party. Daichi laughed and Suga joked about how he had heard of Tsukishima’s antisocial nature. Takeda slipped into the group as the conversation continued, but Tsukishima was barely hearing any of it as he watched Yamaguchi’s reaction.

They looked almost confused and distant. As if they didn’t want to be there. After a few minutes of doing nothing but talking, the groups all gathered around the food tables and began to dig in. Kuroo was right about Ukai’s cooking skills, the food was beyond amazing. The potatoes were especially delicious and Tsukishima made sure to let Ukai know this.

“It’s nothing, just an old family recipe.” Ukai admitted, turning a light shade of pink out of embarrassment. Tsukishima had never seen Ukai get embarrassed over something so the expression was new. It held longer when Takeda overheard the conversation and slipped in, cooing over the food and the amazing fact that Ukai could cook at all. Takeda continued to admit that he burned everything he touched and the two began a conversation Tsukishima knew he wasn’t welcome in.

The room was packed with people, many occupying the seats, a movie having been started while Tsukishima wasn’t watching. He continued to eat his food and wander about the room, spotting Yamaguchi near Hinata and Kageyama, playing peacekeeper as the two fought over something. It was probably really stupid, but then again, they were probably just pretending. They had been doing that for a while now. 

Kenma had managed to escape Kuroo and Bokuto and was sitting in a corner with a plate of food on his lap and a game system in his hands. He didn’t seem to even notice the food, as if he hadn’t gotten it himself. Slowly, Tsukishima made his way over to the smaller man and, hesitantly, said hello. He knew when someone didn’t want to be spoken to, but Tsukishima felt the need to talk to somebody or he was going to talk to Yamaguchi and embarrass himself. 

“What are you playing?” Tsukishima asked, realizing just how awkward and uncomfortable it was to start a conversation. He had always assumed it was awkward, but this was bad. Really bad. Kenma hit a button and looked up, giving Tsukishima a tiny smile, as if reassuring him of something. 

“An old Mario game. How have you been, Tsukishima?” Kenma asked, his soft voice almost drowned out by the sounds of chatter, the movie, and some awful music Kuroo had just turned on. It was almost overwhelming, but Tsukishima had grown used to it.

“I’ve been better. How about you?” Tsukishima asked, dragging a chair from one of the nearby tables over and sitting beside Kenma, in case the conversation went longer than he anticipated. 

“I’ve been well. A lot has happened this semester, more than I anticipated.” Kenma responded, his opening up surprising Tsukishima. He had figured Kenma was the quiet, secretive type that didn’t like to talk to anyone unless they intentionally tried. It seemed he was more willing to talk than Tsukishima had initially thought. 

“How are you and Kuroo?” Tsukishima asked, not sure if this was something Kenma was comfortable with talking about. Shyly, the smaller man turned his face away and looked instead at the food on his plate. He didn’t blush, though, which was interesting to Tsukishima.

“Um, well, I don’t know where that’s going. I’m glad you’re concerned, though, Kuroo’s…an interesting person.” Kenma responded, looking up at where Kuroo was talking animatedly with Kageyama, Hinata, and Bokuto. Akaashi had disappeared from Bokuto’s side, but it seemed Ukai and Takeda couldn’t be pulled apart.

“That’s an understatement.” Tsukishima muttered, his focus drifting as he spotted Yamaguchi in a corner with Daichi and Suga. They waved their hand, as if apologizing, and then turned and headed toward where Tsukishima sat with Kenma. Tsukishima watched them walk and felt his heart sink when they headed toward the door instead. As soon as they were gone, Kenma spoke up again.

“He really likes you.” Kenma whispered, almost as if someone would over hear them. There was no chance of that in the noise that the room held. But Tsukishima still felt himself turn red at the mention.

“How do you know so much about Yamaguchi?” Tsukishima asked, looking back to Kenma, who had a small, knowing smile on his face. The smile grew half an inch and Kenma laughed. 

“Hinata talks a lot.” Kenma responded and Tsukishima rolled his eyes. He knew what Kenma meant by that. “Plus, I’ve known Yamaguchi almost as long as I’ve known Hinata, we just don’t talk as much.” Kenma added on, looking Tsukishima in the eyes. The look was almost eerie, his golden eyes appearing catlike in the light. Tsukishima turned away to avoid the gaze.

“It doesn’t feel like they like me.” Tsukishima muttered, looking down at his feet and pushing the potatoes into a pile before scooping them up and finishing them off. There wasn’t anything else on his plate, but he felt like there should have been. 

“The only way to find out is to ask.” Kenma said, but Tsukishima didn’t move. He continued to look at his plate as if it might give him the answer. He shrugged absently a Kenma’s suggestion instead, but was surprised when he felt a hard kick to his heel. Looking up, Kenma gestured toward the door with his head, as if saying to go get them. 

With a shaky sigh, Tsukishima nodded and stood. He tossed his plate in the garbage and headed outside where the night was silent and the world cold. Yamaguchi stood a short distance away, under the light of the full moon up above, the light making them look more beautiful than ever before. The snow helped and Tsukishima knew, right then, than his theme was accurate. 

Slowly, he approached the shorter person, wary of what to say or how to begin. When he finally reaches Yamaguchi, he stops and opens his mouth.

“You’ve been avoiding me.” Is what comes out. It’s unintentional, but he calls them out for avoiding the subject at hand and he suddenly feels angry for being ignored.

“I know. I don’t know what to do, Tsukki. This has never happened to me before.” Yamaguchi responded, the sound of their voice so familiar. Tsukishima drank it up, glad to be hearing it again. Despite the slightly sad tone to it, it was beautiful to hear.

“Then just let it happen. I can talk you through it. I know what I’m doing well enough. If we both don’t know what to do, then we can ask someone else. It’s not hard, Yamaguchi, I just want you to like me.” Tsukishima admitted, looking outward instead of at them. Yamaguchi let out a small whine and Tsukishima saw them shrug out of the corner of his eye.

“I don’t know, Tsukki. It kind of scares me.” Yamaguchi shifts their feet and looks down, avoiding any chance of looking Tsukishima in the eyes. Anger wells up inside the tall blonde once more and this time he lets a little bit of it out.

“I’ve always felt unworthy of someone else’s love. My entire life my parents raised me on love, but I never had any friends. The only person I ever spoke to was my brother, but even that ended. I’ve been in one long term relationship, but we realized we couldn’t live together as a couple, so we broke it off. I’ve been in and out of relationships for years now, Yamaguchi. I’m afraid no one loves me and I’m afraid you’ll reject me. I’m lame anyway, so I understand if you really feel that way.” Tsukishima vented, feeling the loneliness trying to take him over and invade his body. He was about ready to let it when Yamaguchi grabbed his shoulders and turned him around so they were making eye contact.

“You are lame! Tsukki, you are so amazing! You’re a great photographer and an amazing friend! Most people think you’re standoffish and rude, but you’re really kind deep down. I know this better than anyone, you’ve accepted me for me without any questions asked and you still want me. I don’t understand how this works, but you are no lame.” Yamaguchi ranted, looking directly into Tsukishima’s eyes as they spoke. Tsukishima felt the loneliness trying to take him over and suddenly a new emotion welled up inside of him, fighting it off, away from his heart.

It was hope.

Snow began to fall gently in their silence as Tsukishima processed this feeling and Yamaguchi’s words. He searched their eyes for a moment before breaking the silence.

“Really?” He asked, his voice was a whisper of what it had been moments earlier and Yamaguchi nodded. Without a second thought, the smaller of the two leaned forward and pressed their lips to Tsukishima’s. With perfect emotion and passion and as if they had done this a million times before, they kissed Tsukishima. It was warm and inviting and Tsukishima took this invitation to explore a bit more. 

He pressed forward with gentle curiosity, not sure what a real, in love kiss felt like. It had been years since his last truly accepting kiss and this was far different. Something felt new and alive in this one and he didn’t want it to end.

But still, it did.

“Really.” Yamaguchi whispered, pulling away to press their forehead against Tsukishima’s and look into his eyes. 

They really liked him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: New Years!
> 
> [Fandom Blog](http://lovers-be-nerds.tumblr.com/)  
> [Art Blog](http://willow-tea.tumblr.com/)


	11. New Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Year party shenanigans!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, sorry for taking so long to post! I was super obsessed with another fic for a while and was working on that and then I just didn't have motivation to write for this one. All I had to do was start writing, though, so I hope to finish this one sometime soon. Enjoy the boys being silly!

Banging came sounding on the door to Tsukishima’s bedroom. The sudden noise made the blonde jump almost a foot in the air. Whipping around he opened his mouth to shout at whoever had done it but was stopped short as the perpetrator called through the door.

“Tsukishima! What are you doing? We’re going to be late!” It was Kuroo, his tone not really as angry as the words suggested. Still, he sounded worried or anxious, both emotions Kuroo rarely was. Tsukishima knew why this was, but Kuroo really needed to get over his nerves around Kenma. The man liked him, that much was obvious. Yet, Kuroo continued to work hard to impress him.

“I’m getting dressed and, unless you want me to come out in my underwear, you’re going have to wait just a little longer.” Tsukishima yelled back, pulling a vest over the long sleeved shirt he was wearing. He was actually completely dressed and had been for a good ten minutes or more, but his nerves were getting the better of him as well. After Yamaguchi had kissed him he had been worried about messing up what they had. For whatever reason even what he wore seemed of the utmost importance.

When had that happened?

Still, the tall blonde enjoyed spending time with Yamaguchi, they were amazing company and just generally a wonderful person. Buttoning one of the buttons on the vest he pulled the wrinkles out again. He was over thinking this whole night, he needn’t be so worried, but his mind continued to reel at thousands of miles per minute, one thought jumping in after another.

It was New Year’s Eve and the gang had planned an amazing night out that left them coming home after midnight. And by ‘the gang had planned’, it obviously meant Kuroo and Bokuto. Those two had been insistent, since the Christmas party, that they all get together as often as possible. 

Despite large groups not being Tsukishima’s scene, their friend group was one of the best he had ever had. In reality, it was the only one. But it was amazing to know so many people wanted to hang out around him and, after what Yamaguchi had said, he knew they were being honest when they said they enjoyed his company.

There were moments where he continued to doubt, but he was working on it. 

With one final look at himself he nodded his head and grabbed his coat. There was no use fretting for too long, Kuroo was right, they were cutting it close. He didn’t want to be late, he was never late. 

“There you are! Took you long enough!” Kuroo exclaimed once Tsukishima had entered the living room. He was standing near the door wearing a crimson red button up and black skinny jeans. He had a black jacket over one arm as if ready to leave at any moment. They had all decided that they would dress in a mix of formal and casual, and Kuroo pulled it off nicely.

“You look great. Red is definitely your color.” Tsukishima said, finding himself frozen in place for a second when it occurred to him just how nice Kuroo looked. Kuroo turned his face to hide the blush covering his cheeks, opening the door as an excuse not to look at Tsukishima.

“You look really good, too, Tsukishima.” Akaashi stood from where he had been sitting with Bokuto on the couch. Tsukishima hadn’t even noticed them sitting there and nearly jumped out of his skin at their sudden appearance. Bokuto wore a frosty white shirt, a white scarf, and a thick black jacket all topped with a blue ski cap nearly the same color as the shirt. Akaashi’s shirt was white on the shoulders and faded to midnight blue with black jeans to continue the effect.

“Uh, thanks.” Tsukishima felt himself turn a light shade of pink as Bokuto slapped him on the back a little too roughly. He glared after the taller man but refused to say anything. It was normal for Bokuto to use more force than was truly necessary, Tsukishima was used to it. It didn’t mean he liked it, he was just used to it. 

“C’mon, I’m sure everyone’s waiting for us.” Akaashi said, giving Tsukishima a reassuring smile. With one more deep sigh, Tsukishima pulled his jacket over his shoulders and stepped out into the cold, closing the door behind him.

They all took Akaashi’s car to the karaoke place, Kuroo and Bokuto raving about what songs they were going to sing and how they were going to beat each other. Akaashi and Tsukishima rode the way in complete silence, listening to the two practically shout at each other. 

The drive was longer than it would have been if there was no snow, but they all made it safely and filed inside as quickly as they could. The heat from the lobby overtook them quickly and they began to pull of jackets and gloves. 

“There you guys are! Now all we’re missing is Kageyama and Hinata.” The shout came from Yamaguchi, who was standing off to the side with Suga, Daichi, Kenma, Takeda, and Ukai. They were crowded into the corner talking at reasonable levels for the size of the room they were in.

“Wait, Hinata and Kageyama aren’t here yet?” Kuroo asked, brow creasing as he asked the question. Yamaguchi shrugged and pulled out their phone to look it at its screen. When they didn’t find what they expected, they stuffed it back into their pocket.

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s keeping them. They wanted to stop at Kageyama’s place to grab something. Hinata hasn’t been responding to any of my texts.” Yamaguchi responded, shrugging, a confused look on his face as well. Tsukishima cringed, finding the way Kageyama and Hinata acted around each other disgusting.

“They do know we’re not stupid, right?” Tsukishima asked, grabbing the attention of most of the group. Yamaguchi couldn’t help a small smile that worked its way onto their face but they gave Tsukishima a look that encouraged he explain.

“They’re probably busy making out or something.” Tsukishima muttered, rolling his eyes at the oblivious looks on Kuroo’s and Bokuto’s faces. Everyone else in the room seemed to understand what he meant and responded with varying levels of amusement. Suga shrugged and stepped up to the front to get their room right as the door burst open and a bundle of flailing limbs and shouting voices came tumbling in.

“Sorry we’re late, Kageyama couldn’t find his keys!” Hinata shouted, barreling straight into Kenma after Tsukishima dodged him. Kageyama stepped in much more gently, brushing snow off his jacket as if he had been on the ground. Tsukishima noticed, with disgust, the way Kageyama’s normally well kept hair was a mess, sticking up in odd places as if someone had run his fingers through it.

“Shouyou, your buttons are off.” Kenma noted as he righted the bright orange fluff ball. Hinata became a sunset as his skin turned a deep shade of red Tsukishima was unaware was possible. As he stepped back and looked down at his front, Tsukishima noticed that his buttons were, indeed, all off by one. 

“I’mgonnagotothebathroom.” Hinata mumbled, rushing off to fix it, head ducked so no one would see his expression. Probably horror, Tsukishima thought, disgusted to realize that not only was he right, but they were about ready to do more than make out. 

“Kageyama, you should probably fix your hair.” Tsukishima muttered, gesturing halfheartedly at the mess of black fluff on top of the other man’s head. Surprised, Kageyama looked up as best he could at his head, patting a hand on it. When he realized Tsukishima was right, red flared in his cheeks and he frantically patted the strands down before shoving his hands in his pockets and sulking in a corner.

Tsukishima walked away from the black haired man and stopped near Yamaguchi where he could lean over and whisper in their ear.

“They’re not even trying to be subtle anymore.” Tsukishima groaned, earning a laugh from the brunette. It was a wonderful noise that Tsukishima couldn’t get enough of. He was much less disgruntled by Kageyama and Hinata’s disgusting love life after Yamaguchi laughed and, luckily, any further embarrassment of the two was put on hold as Suga directed them toward the rooms they would be occupying. 

“They don’t have one big enough for all twelve of us, so we’re splitting into groups of six. I hope that’s okay.” Suga explained as he walked down the hallway toward the rooms they would be using. Everyone began haphazardly spilling into rooms and, before he knew it, Tsukishima was sitting beside Yamaguchi in a room with Suga, Daichi, Hinata, and Kageyama. As glad as he was to not be in the room with Bokuto and Kuroo, something about watching Hinata and Kageyama dance around each other just dampened his mood. 

“So, who wants to go first?” Suga asked, closing the door and taking a seat beside Daichi. Their sides rubbed together as Daichi pulled Suga closer, a subtle show of affection. Hinata and Kageyama, on the other hand, sat as far apart as the couches would allow them, avoiding eye contact and remaining beet red.

“I will!” Hinata shouted, shooting to his feet so fast Tsukishima was afraid he might shoot straight out of the ceiling. He raced to the front and grabbed the book full of song choices, beginning to flip through them. He began before anyone could offer a duet with him, but Tsukishima was fine with that. 

The music began and Hinata started to sing. For a moment everyone simply listened, though Tsukishima was trying hard not to. Once it became clear that Hinata was engrossed in his performance, Suga leaned forward toward Kageyama, eyes alight with a mischievous look.

“So, Kageyama, how long have you and Hinata been together?” Suga asked, just loud enough for Kageyama to hear but not loud enough to get Hinata’s attention. Immediately, Kageyama’s face turned a deep shade of red and avoided looking at Suga.

“C’mon, Kageyama, there’s nothing wrong with dating Hinata. You guys make a great couple. I’m just curious.” Suga explained, softening his voice to be less gossip queen-esque. Kageyama continued to look away, but responded this time.

“We’re not dating.” He muttered, trying hard not to sound angry. It was difficult for him, but it seemed to work pretty well. Kageyama seemed slightly less irritated and a bit more put out than anything. 

“Really? Then what was with the reactions earlier? And your hair and Hinata’s shirt?” Suga asked, genuinely curious. Tsukishima really doubted Kageyama was telling the truth, he and Hinata would not have reacted that way if they weren’t dating.

“We’re, uh, we’re not really good with relationship talk or that teasing stuff people do.” Kageyama said, shrugging as he turned his head to glance nervously at Suga before ducking his gaze again. “Hinata wanted to change his shirt last minute and was in a bit of a hurry. My hair was because that idiot pushed me into the snow trying to get inside.” Kageyama responded, all his explanations actually reasonable. 

“So you’re not dating?” Suga asked, just double checking, surprise taking over his features. Kageyama looked up, locking eyes with Suga this time.

“We’re not dating.” He confirmed, right as Hinata’s song ended and he energetic red head pushed the microphone toward Suga.

“You go, Suga! You’re so good!” Hinata cried, pulling Suga to his feet and quickly slipping into the seat he had previously occupied. Tsukishima watched as Daichi stood and grabbed the other mic, joining Suga to decide on a song. For not dating, Kageyama and Hinata were really trying to avoid each other. 

The night seemed to progress with almost no difficulty afterward. They spent a couple of hours in the karaoke rooms, switching rooms up after the first hour. Hinata and Kageyama continued to avoid each other, causing actual curiosity to stir within Tsukishima. He normally avoided other people’s drama, but these two were acting confusingly and it wasn’t like them.

Takeda and Ukai, on the other hand, were being straight forward. Ukai grabbed Takeda’s hand whenever they sat next to each other, Takeda comfortably leaned over Ukai every time he needed to grab something, and the two sang a rather sweet but off key duet together. It was less disgusting than the way Hinata and Kageyama danced around each other, but still disgusting. Something about it was still sweet, though, for two older students to be together as easily as they were. It was almost as if Daichi and Suga had never left the room.

After everyone agreed that they were bored of karaoke, Kuroo suggested they go to an arcade. It seemed like a good idea, so everyone agreed to head in that direction. They split into different cars but before Tsukishima could follow Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi, he was stopped by the tug of a hand on his sleeve.

“Hey, uh, Tsukishima, can I ride with Kuroo?” Hinata asked, avoiding looking up at the blonde. Tsukishima lifted an eyebrow in shock. How did he and Kageyama manage to make it all the way to the karaoke place if they were having trouble being near each other?

“Why should I?” Tsukishima asked, already resolving to say yes if only for the quiet that riding with Kageyama would provide. He felt bad subjecting Akaashi to three noisy men, but he knew the man could handle it. 

“Well, uh, he’s been scary all night. I think he’s mad at me, but I don’t know why. I was hoping to, um, give him some space.” Hinata responded, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, nerves clearly taking him over. Despite his initial thought to agree for the silence, the way Hinata seemed wary about riding with Kageyama worried the blonde. Tsukishima may have found Hinata annoying, but they were still friends long before either had met Kageyama. 

“Yeah, fine. Just get over it quickly, got it?” Tsukishima grumbled, ignoring the extremely bright smile Hinata gave him. He also tried to shove the small ball of energy off his arm as soon as he tried to cling. 

“Thank you so much!” After finally managing to get Hinata off of him, Tsukishima headed toward Kageyama’s car, ignoring the confused look he got from the black haired man. He slid into the passenger seat and waited until Kageyama got in as well. Buckling his belt he waited as the other man started the car and began to pull out.

“What did you do to Hinata?” Tsukishima asked as they pulled out of the parking lot. Kageyama nearly lost it in the middle of his turn but was able to save himself from getting in a pretty horrible wreck just in the nick of time. 

“Wh-what makes you think I did anything to him?” Kageyama asked, fingers tightening on the steering wheel until his knuckles were whiter than usual. Tsukishima groaned.

“You two have been avoiding each other all night. It’s annoying and disgusting.” Tsukishima muttered, avoiding looking over at Kageyama as he spoke. The other man was silent for a little bit. “If you guys didn’t make out, what did happen?” Tsukishima asked, voice softening just a bit, hoping to maybe get an answer. Even if Hinata was a nuisance, he was still Tsukishima’s friend and Tsukishima refused to let anything horrible happen to him.

“I…I kissed him.” Kageyama muttered, looking straight ahead. Tsukishima’s brow creased at this confession. A kiss? Those two were dancing around each other all night over a single kiss?

“Why does he look like he’s afraid you’ll bite him if you get too close, then?” Tsukishima asked as the car turned a corner. He could see the arcade coming into view and hoped they would wrap up the conversation before they parked.

“It was unexpected for both of us. He was pushing me around and laughing and grinning that stupid grin and I kind of just…grabbed his arm and pulled him in. That’s why he pushed me into the snow before we got into the karaoke place.” Kageyama explained, eyes darting toward the parking lot he was about to turn into and then checking to make sure his turn was clear. He may have been driving diligently, but Tsukishima was pretty sure he was also avidly avoiding looking at the blonde.

“That’s why you were both so jumpy when everyone started joking about you two making out.” Tsukishima pointed out, earning a nod from Kageyama as he found a parking spot and pulled in. As much as Tsukishima wanted to admit it was stupid, the exact same thing had happened the first time he had kissed Yamaguchi. 

They’d slammed the door in his face and then danced around him for weeks until they finally got around to sorting it out at the Christmas party. Kageyama and Hinata were doing the exact same thing, dancing around each other because they were afraid of what the kiss meant. The biggest difference: Kageyama had no idea why he had kissed Hinata, just that he had felt compelled to do so.

“Well, get over it. You’re both going to make the entire night torture for the rest of us if you keep doing this.” Tsukishima demanded, unbuckling himself and stepping out of the car into the parking lot. Kageyama gaped after him before snapping back to attention and getting out of the car himself. 

Tsukishima pushed his way toward the arcade through slush and icy spots. Kageyama followed noisily behind him, grumbling something under his breath as he walked. Tsukishima opened the door to the arcade to find them the first car there. 

Luckily, Ukai and Takeda came only a couple of minutes into their awkward silence and occupied the conversation space. Soon enough the rest of the group had joined them and they were setting up tokens and credit to play the games and were setting off to various arcade games.

Tsukishima hastily located Yamaguchi and clung to their side, avoiding Hinata and Kageyama at all costs. At first, Yamaguchi didn’t notice anything odd, but stopped before they started their fifth game to give him the ‘what’s up’ look.

“You’re being clingier than usual, Tsukki. What’s wrong?” Yamaguchi asked, their beautiful amber eyes locking with Tsukishima’s golden ones. For a moment Tsukishima refused to answer and just adamantly shook his head, but there was no evading Yamaguchi’s beautiful stare.

“Kageyama told me why Hinata’s being so jumpy around him.” Tsukishima muttered, turning toward the game beside Yamaguchi’s and inserting a couple of tokens to start the game. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened and they looked around the arcade to locate Hinata – playing air hockey against Bokuto – and Kageyama – shooting hoops with Ukai and Takeda. 

“He talked to you? Wow, that’s uncommon. You two usually rub each other the wrong direction.” Yamaguchi praised him, eyes lighting up with joy at this. Tsukishima grumbled, trying his best to hide his blush by pretending to concentrate really hard on the game. He hated Kageyama’s guts, but he wasn’t a bad person, just annoying. Neither was Hinata, especially since there were good things the blonde had caught onto over the years. It was really the way Yamaguchi cooed that made Tsukishima react the way he did, though.

“Yeah, well, I may have threatened him.” Tsukishima grunted, clicking away at the buttons on the game to score higher points. He flinched when Yamaguchi slapped him with their gloves.

“Tsukki!” They scolded, trying their best to hold back a laugh as they did so. Tsukishima cracked a small smile and laughed as well, losing the game but not really caring that much. Yamaguchi was there, they were having fun, who cared if he lost.

“I’m kidding, I just said they were annoying and that it was unlike them.” Tsukishima said, turning from the ‘game over’ screen to look at Yamaguchi again. Both of them were smiling now, leaning against the machines they were standing in front of, awfully close to each other.

“So why are they acting so jumpy?” Yamaguchi asked, leaning in just a bit closer to whisper these words. Tsukishima looked away, actually feeling a bit wary of telling them. Kageyama hadn’t seemed terribly keen on saying anything and it wasn’t Tsukishima’s place to tell someone else. “Tsukki, you know I won’t say anything. Hinata will tell me in his own time, I’ll act surprised when he does, but I’m kind of curious.” Yamaguchi explained, turning their head just right so they were looking Tsukishima in the eyes despite his best attempts to look away.

“On their way to the door at the karaoke place, Kageyama kissed Hinata unprovoked.” Tsukishima whispered back, locking eyes with Yamaguchi when he finally resolved to speak. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened and then their smile followed. They lifted a hand to cover their mouth and laughed into it, looking to where Kageyama and Hinata were still playing their games. 

“No wonder they got so tense when everyone joked about the buttons. Wait, so what Kageyama said about being pushed into the snow and Hinata’s shirt was true?” Yamaguchi asked, earning a node from Tsukishima.

“Kageyama said that Hinata pushed him into the snow after.” Tsukishima responded, shrugging at it. It was a natural response for someone as childish as Hinata. Avoiding things he didn’t understand was the small man’s strong suit. 

“Well, I hope they get over it. They’re adorable together.” Yamaguchi whispered, leaning in close enough to Tsukishima that he could feel their warmth through their coat. Carefully trying not to blush, Tsukishima cleared his throat and shrugged.

“They’re disgusting, but I hope they get over it to so we can enjoy the rest of the night.” Tsukishima muttered, turning around and heading toward another game. Yamaguchi shouted his name in that scolding tone of theirs, slapping him once again with their gloves, but following him nonetheless. 

For several more hours they hopped from game to game, once stopping to grab pizza when Bokuto complained loudly of being hungry. Tsukishima played a game of air hockey against Akaashi, watched Yamaguchi stumbled over themselves playing Dance Dance Revolution with Hinata – who was surprisingly good at the game - , and enjoyed watching Ukai and Takeda compete mercilessly at ski ball. 

It wasn’t until the place started emptying and the loud speaker called for fifteen minutes before closing that they all regrouped for the next step of the plan.

“Alright, guys. I found us a pretty snazzy party at a hotel nearby. It’s formal attire, though, so what we’re wearing won’t exactly fly. Let’s all split up and change and meet there in an hour.” Kuroo took charge, explaining what was going on and detailing where the party would be held. Tsukishima had never been to a fancy party, but there would be a countdown complete with sparklers and fancy drinks. 

“Break!” Bokuto shouted once Kuroo had made sure everyone knew the plan. They all dispersed to their vehicles, getting ready to depart. Despite Hinata’s protests, Tsukishima insisted he ride back with Bokuto and Kuroo. His explanation was completely logical, considering Kuroo lived with him and Bokuto and Akaashi occupied the same building. Hinata still protested and it took Tsukishima pushing Hinata toward Kageyama’s car and bolting at the last second to get the red haired man to ride with Kageyama.

The ride back with Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi was oddly more subdued than Tsukishima expected it to be. Bokuto ranted absently about the party with Kuroo adding in his halfhearted two cents worth of grunts in response. For the second half of the trip, the car was entirely silent save the soft music playing on the radio.

When they all got back, Tsukishima found his old suit pants, unused for a while but still long enough, and a tie. Pulling a button up shirt on in place of the long sleeved shirt, Tsukishima put his vest back on. He looked like a snazzier version of the person he was only minutes earlier.

When he left his room he found Bokuto and Akaashi sitting on the couch, Akaashi resting a head on Bokuto’s shoulder. Despite how over affectionate couples disgusted him, something about what Akaashi and Bokuto had was sweet. It wasn’t over the top or annoying, but subtle and background noise to the deep friendship they shared.

“Is Kuroo not ready yet?” Bokuto asked, voice calm and level, reasonable for the space he was in. Tsukishima attributed this to the fact that Akaashi was dozing on his shoulder and shook his head. “He better be ready soon, we don’t want to be late.” Bokuto muttered, looking down at his watch. 

After waiting another few minutes, Tsukishima knocked on Kuroo’s door. It pulled open ajar, just enough for a hand to reach out and drag Tsukishima on roughly. Flashbacks from years ago played through Tsukishima’s head and he put himself on high alert. Luckily, it wasn’t what he was thinking but, rather, Kuroo simply fretting and freaking out.

Wearing nothing but his boxers, Kuroo paced the room, ranting to Tsukishima about things he couldn’t quite catch. The older man spoke too quickly and jumbled words together, making up entire new words in the process. Few words made their way to Tsukishima’s attention, but he did gather something about ‘Kenma’ and ‘worried’ and ‘really like him’. 

With a swift hand, Tsukishima stopped Kuroo’s pacing and faced him by grabbing both his shoulders firmly.

“Kenma likes you, stop pacing, get dressed, we’re going to be late.” Tsukishima said simply, looking Kuroo directly in the eyes, giving him a pointed look, then turning and leaving the room. Kuroo remained frozen where he was until Tsukishima closed the door. Silently the blonde hoped it had worked, because they really were going to be late.

“What just happened?” Bokuto asked, eyes wide, voice louder than before. Akaashi sat up beside him, rubbing his eyes lazily, hand in Bokuto’s. The owl-ish man appeared to have woken Akaashi when Tsukishima had been pulled into Kuroo’s room, as if they would have needed to save him.

“He’s just worried about Kenma, it’s fine.” Tsukishima responded, waving them off before dropping into a chair to wait out Kuroo. He didn’t have to wait terribly long, because Kuroo burst forth from his room only moments later fully dressed in the same red shirt but with black slacks and a black tie. It wasn’t much different from the outfit he had worn earlier.

“Alright, let’s go.” Kuroo exclaimed, a grin on his face. Tsukishima rolled his eyes at Kuroo’s simple nature, but followed him from the apartment.

\----

“Suga, what if he doesn’t like it?” Yamaguchi asked, tugging awkwardly at the fabric falling across their chest. It was something they hadn’t really done in a long time and they were afraid Tsukishima would think they were weird. From his spot in the passenger seat, Suga turned around and looked Yamaguchi in the eyes.

“You look amazing. He’ll love it. And if he doesn’t, he has me to answer to.” Suga responded, his calm voice reassuring to Yamaguchi. Laughing nervously they nodded, expression showing just how little effect Suga’s reassurances had on their nerves.

“And me.” Daichi added from the driver’s seat, making Yamaguchi really laugh this time. Suga and Daichi were too kind, what had they ever done to deserve friends like them? Yamaguchi’s biggest worry was Tsukishima, but there was an underlying fear that had made them hesitate longer.

What if someone who knew the old photographs of them? They wouldn’t live this down if someone that knew them outside of their friend group saw them. The horrible nickname of Dirt Boy was enough to make them collapse in the snow sobbing in front of Tsukishima, what would a nickname from this outfit get them?

Nervously fidgeting with the material and the small bag they had grabbed to carry their phone, Yamaguchi stared out the window. They had gotten ready considerably fast for how long it had taken Yamaguchi to decide on an outfit. They didn’t have very much to choose from by way of formal attire, but what they had chosen seemed fitting. As long as they were let in.

Daichi pulled into the parking lot of the hotel Kuroo had told them about. It was a party hosted by some rich sponsor of their school, so it was free for all college students, but it had to be formal. Almost like a ball or those classy parties they saw in movies all the time. 

As soon as Daichi put the car into park, Yamaguchi began to panic.

“You know what, you guys go in. I think I’ll just stay in the car.” Yamaguchi said, wringing their hands together nervously, feeling the heat that the friction created. It was a little painful, but it felt nice to get their nerves under control. Suga turned around in his seat and looked at Yamaguchi, clear concern written in his features.

“Yamaguchi, you look amazing. Don’t let what someone might think stop you. If you do start to feel uncomfortable, Daichi is more than glad to drive home early.” Suga said, reaching forward and placing a hand on Yamaguchi’s knee, offering a small smile. Daichi turned around and looked Yamaguchi in the eye.

“Suga’s right. You look amazing, Tsukishima’s an idiot if he doesn’t think so. Come get me the moment you’re ready to leave, though. Alright?” Daichi gave a reassuring nod and Yamaguchi nodded in return. It was almost as if they had the supportive parents they wished they had. They hadn’t mentioned any of this to their parents, but they knew what they would think and it was amazing having such great friends like Suga and Daichi.

“Thanks guys.” Yamaguchi responded, giving them a shaky smile. They nodded and stepped out of the car, waiting for Yamaguchi before they headed inside. Daichi walked in his right and Suga on his left. Yamaguchi appreciated the placement more because they knew Daichi and Suga always walked into parties arm in arm. They were true friends, but it did little to relax their nerves.

The hotel ballroom didn’t have very many people in it, making the group just a bit early. It was nice, though, because Yamaguchi got very few awkward stares from people around the room. They were more than glad when they heard a very familiar exclamation and found a small orange ball headed their direction.

“Uwahh! Yamaguchi, you look amazing!” Hinata exclaimed, grabbing Yamaguchi’s arms and look them over. They smiled nervously, feeling their cheeks heat up just a bit at the compliment, but was more than glad for Hinata’s kind words.

“Thanks, Hinata.” Yamaguchi said, looking up when they noticed Kageyama come up behind Hinata, eyes wide and mouth open. Yamaguchi hesitated but nodded in his direction and he bowed awkwardly. Yamaguchi laughed as Kageyama grabbed one of their hands and placed a kiss on the top.

“Geez, Kageyama, over the top much?” Hinata grumbled, crossing his arms and looking away. This earned a rather flustered look from Kageyama, who instantly began attempting to mend the situation despite Hinata’s protests that it was too late. Amused, Yamaguchi turned away from the group to find Ukai and Takeda approaching. 

Takeda’s eyes were alight with pure joy and is smile moved from one side of his face to the other. Ukai’s expression greatly resembled that of Kageyama’s from earlier, making Yamaguchi blush a bit more.

“Yamaguchi, you’re so beautiful!” Takeda exclaimed, grabbing both of Yamaguchi’s hands in a similar yet gentler version of Hinata’s show of affection. Ukai nodded, agape expression dropping into a grin.

“Kid, you’d win the heart of anyone of the people in this room, me included.” Ukai exclaimed, earning himself a firm elbow from Takeda, who pretended nothing had happened, making Yamaguchi laugh at their antics. They had never said anything about being official, but it was easy to tell there was something there.

Before Ukai and Takeda addressed Yamaguchi again, their eyes caught someone entering at the far end of the room and they froze. Takeda and Ukai’s arguing faded out as they turned to apologize to Yamaguchi and caught the look on their face, turning to follow their gaze.

“Tsukki.” Yamaguchi whispered, watching as the tall blonde looked around the room, clearly looking for Yamaguchi. Takeda grabbed Ukai’s hand and the two slipped away, leaving Yamaguchi alone in the middle of the room, just in time for Tsukishima’s eyes to find them.

Time froze.

Tsukishima wore an outfit much like the one from earlier, but slightly snazzier and completed with a black tie. His hair looked like it had been combed in an attempt to tame it, but small hairs still stuck out in silly places, rebelling against the man. Despite the amazing appearance of the man, it wasn’t what he was wearing that particularly drew Yamaguchi’s attention.

It was his expression.

Slack jawed and wide eyed, Tsukishima approached Yamaguchi, eyes following the flow of their lithe body and taking them in from the shoulder less top to the flowing skirt of their solid gold ball gown. 

Tsukishima finally reached Yamaguchi, mouth still dropped open, eyes still scanning the dark, freckled shoulders exposed by the neckline of the gown, eyes eating hungrily every inch of Yamaguchi’s appearance. Then golden eyes drew up to amber ones and they locked.

“You’re so beautiful.” Tsukishima whispered, voice coming out softer than he had intended it to. Yamaguchi’s face turned a deep shade of pink they didn’t know they were capable of and they began to laugh, falling into Tsukishima for a huge hug.

“You look amazing too, Tsukki.” They laughed, giddy with the wonder of those words from Tsukishima’s lips. He thought they were beautiful! He thought they were beautiful! The world seemed to spin into oblivion for the rest of the night, disappearing in a blur as the group enjoyed the party.

Tsukishima seemed to cling to Yamaguchi the entire night, but they weren’t the only ones. Bokuto and Akaashi hung around Kuroo and Kenma, but whenever one split off, the partner that accompanied them followed. Even when Kuroo disappeared to go to the bathroom, Kenma took the bench outside the door and waited, playing his game. The instant Kuroo came back out, Kenma was right on his arm again, quite literally holding Kuroo’s arm. 

Ukai and Takeda could be found in random corners talking to complete strangers, but they seemed to never let go of each other, fingers locked the entire night. Daichi and Suga were doing similar, though they could also be found sitting together and just talking, no one else around.

Hinata and Kageyama even stayed near each other, though seemed to refuse to stand too close together. The night proceeded like this until the countdown began and the group drew closer together. 

“Five!” The crowd shouted, watching the countdown on the screen display at one end of the room. 

Yamaguchi clasped Tsukishima’s hand and Tsukishima squeezed back.

“Four!”

Kenma interlocked his fingers into Kuroo’s hair and kissed him before the countdown even finished.

“Three!” 

Hinata and Kageyama argued about what they were going to do when the countdown finished, loud voices drowned out in the countdown. Their cheeks were both extreme shades of red, but they didn’t stop yelling.

“Two!” 

Bokuto and Akaashi clinked glasses to cheer the new year a little early. Daichi and Suga shoved small cakes into each other’s faces, laughing the whole time.

“One!” 

Ukai pulled Takeda close, locking eyes with him and moving in for the New Year’s kiss a few second early as the crowd and screen shouted:

“Happy New Year!”

And, despite Hinata and Kageyama’s awkward cheek kiss, Kenma face sucking Kuroo, and Daichi and Suga now covered in cake, the world was new and right. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi kissed like they never had before, starting the new year out the right way and establishing a wonderful, beautiful, comfortable, new normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, what if I wrote a fic just for what Hinata and Kageyama do whenever they're late?
> 
> Next Time: Hinata and Kageyama get awkward and Yamaguchi freaks out
> 
> [Fandom Blog](http://lovers-be-nerds.tumblr.com/)  
> [Art Blog](http://willow-tea.tumblr.com/)


	12. Art Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fun filler stuff as the boys all get closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've figured, since this is the only fic I'm really working on (I just posted another but it's only one chapter) I'm going to focus on finishing this one. So, expect it to be finished in no more than two weeks! Woot!

After several weeks, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had finally grown more comfortable with each other. They had already been close before the party, but now they were almost attached at the hip when they didn’t have classes. Weekly movie nights that used to only include Bokuto, Akaashi, Kuroo, and Tsukishima now also consisted of Kenma and Yamaguchi. It had become an unofficial date night for all the couples, but it made it far more bearable for Tsukishima.

Kuroo went crazy when he was allowed to choose a musical and Kenma listened in patiently, actually looking away from his phone long enough to listen to Kuroo and pay attention to the movie. Bokuto was thrilled to have people to join him on group dates, setting up a new one almost every week. Kuroo tried to go to as many as Kenma would allow, but the smaller man didn’t seem terribly keen on being so public. 

Tsukishima was much the same way with Yamaguchi, but not because he didn’t enjoy Yamaguchi’s company. He just wasn’t the type to show too much affection. It wasn’t really his style to go on excessive amounts of dates, but he was more than willing to show Yamaguchi affection when they were alone.

Kenma was the same, only he had Kuroo to deal with and that man was so bad at detecting social cues that Kenma often found himself in awkward displays of affection. Still, he was a trooper and held strong, politely informing Kuroo of when it was too much. As the weeks drew on, Kuroo started to understand when Kenma wouldn’t like it and his affectionate nature pulled back a bit. 

It was now common to find Ukai and Takeda talking at the front counter when Tsukishima arrived at Karasuno every morning. The professor and the barista could often be found in deep, engaging conversation. Sometimes it really was deep, something about some music and its meaning. Sometimes it wasn’t, like the one time Tsukishima walked in on them debating in hushed tones about pineapple pizza and its pros and cons. 

Kageyama and Hinata, however, still danced around each other when the situations seemed to require affection. Whenever around Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, they were more often likely to treat each other like they usually did, bickering and fighting. Such as what they were doing as the four walked into Karasuno one morning in late January.

“Idiot, Hinata! That’s not true!” Kageyama exclaimed, shoving Hinata’s head as if this might get him to acknowledge that Kageyama was right. Hinata growled in an extremely non intimidating manner, throwing his hands out in an attempt to get at Kageyama’s face. It was futile, since Kageyama’s arm was longer and kept him just out of reach.

“Stupid, Kageyama! If course it is, didn’t you see it on the bulletin board this morning?” Hinata shouted back as Yamaguchi pushed the door open for them. It was common in these situations that someone else had to open doors for them or they’d run into them and then another argument would start and they wouldn’t get anywhere.

“Good morning!” Ukai called from the front, his voice carrying over top the noise Hinata and Kageyama were making. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima headed to the front around Hinata and Kageyama who had stopped in the middle of the café to continue the argument. Luckily, the café wasn’t terribly crowded and they wouldn’t be disturbing too many people.

“Morning, Ukai. Is Takeda not here?” Yamaguchi asked, pulling their gloves off and stuffing them into their pockets. Tsukishima gave Ukai a simple nod, allowing Yamaguchi to do the talking for both of them. 

“Nah, he had a meeting this morning. Won’t be in most of the day.” Ukai responded, pulling out a couple of cups and starting on what he knew Tsukishima was going to ask for. Yamaguchi often changed his order, so Ukai didn’t jump to start the drink. 

“That’s too bad.” Yamaguchi replied. Ukai simply shrugged and asked what Yamaguchi wanted to drink. As Yamaguchi ordered, Kageyama and Hinata finally finished their argument and came over to the counter to order their own drinks. It wasn’t often that Hinata had the mornings off, but when he did, he reveled in ordering from Ukai and not having to make the drink himself. 

Tsukishima’s was the first drink finished, for obvious reasons, with Yamaguchi’s second. Kageyama got his third, though he had ordered after Hinata. Ukai attributed it to the complexity that Hinata’s drink possessed, but Hinata didn’t mind waiting.

The three with their drinks found a booth to sit in to rest their feet. Tsukishima slid in against the wall across from Kageyama with Yamaguchi beside him. For a moment they all simply sat in contented silence, Yamaguchi leaning slightly closer to Tsukishima than was really necessary. It didn’t bug the blonde too much though. Kageyama sipped his drink absently, avoiding looking near them until Hinata finally joined them, thudding into his seat with a slump.

“I forgot this drink came with whipped cream.” Hinata mumbled, setting the cup down with a sigh. It was piled high with quickly melting whipped cream covered in what looked like chocolate shavings.

“You work here.” Tsukishima pointed out, drowned out as Yamaguchi spoke up before he could finish. 

“You don’t like whipped cream?” They asked, not even noticing that Tsukishima had been speaking. Hinata nodded his head and groaned, picking the drink back up and turning toward Kageyama.

“You take it.” He demanded, holding the drink up toward Kageyama, who looked down at it with surprise, glancing around himself and to his own drink as if looking for a way to transfer the cream. Without hesitation or shame, Kageyama leaned forward and slurped the whipped cream right off the top of the drink, leaving only little white swirls where it had already melted into the coffee.

Then Hinata blew on the drink and took a sip.

Tsukishima looked down at Yamaguchi, whose eyes were wide and a tiny smile had graced their lips in mild amusement. They both turned back to Kageyama and Hinata, who were now ignoring each other to drink their coffee in silence. The only indication that something strange had just gone down was the very faint blush on Kageyama’s cheeks, but this could have been easily attributed to the cold outside.

“Um, Hinata, what just happened?” Yamaguchi asked, cocking their head slightly in confusion. Hinata looked up from his drink with brows creased.

“What do you mean?” He asked, looking over to Tsukishima, who had a single eyebrow lifted as if to ask the same question Yamaguchi had just asked. The freckled brunette lifted both eyebrows – incapable of doing only one – to indicate a similar surprise and confusion.

“Well, you know, Kageyama just ate your whipped cream directly from the cup and you didn’t even flinch.” Yamaguchi pointed out. Kageyama’s gaze turned in the complete opposite direction from Hinata, but Tsukishima caught the red hue that continued to grow on his face as the conversation progressed. Disgusting, he thought.

“I don’t like whipped cream and I asked him to take it.” Hinata explained slowly, as if it was super obvious, which it was. He seemed entirely oblivious to the underlying meaning to what Kageyama had just done, though the black haired man seemed to understand perfectly well.

“Yeah, but he licked it off. You know…directly.” Yamaguchi pushed, leaning forward slightly as if to add emphasis to what they were saying. Hinata’s brows creased closer together and his gaze directed itself to his cup. For a moment of utter silence save the whirring of the machines behind the counter, Hinata seemed to be working through his mind just what Yamaguchi was trying to say. Then it finally came to him.

“W-well, um, he’s done that b-before, s-so it’s not weird at all! It’s not weird b-because he’s just my friend and, uh, well, it’s n-normal for friends to do that, r-right Kageyama?” Hinata defended himself turning to look at Kageyama who was now tucking himself as close to the wall as he could manage. When Hinata pestered him some more, he finally turned to the others and Tsukishima had to hide a smirk behind his hand at the deep shade of red the man had turned.

“Y-yeah.” Was all he could muster with Hinata nodding rapidly beside him. Yamaguchi, too, was having a hard time holding in laughter that was threatening to bubble over, but he was doing a far better job than Tsukishima. 

“Oh, okay. I just wasn’t sure.” Yamaguchi responded, holding a tight smile on their face to hold back the laughter that so badly wanted to come out. For a moment Hinata continued to protest the weirdness of the situation while Kageyama pushed himself desperately into the corner as if he wanted it to swallow him up. After a bit of this, Tsukishima nudged Yamaguchi, still holding back a laugh.

“We should get going, we don’t want to be late for class.” Tsukishima chuckled, trying his hardest to not laugh as Yamaguchi scooted off the bench and headed toward the door. As soon as they were outside they both began dying of laughter.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe those two aren’t a couple, they’re too cute.” Yamaguchi said once they had caught their breath. As Tsukishima slowly regained his own composure they both started toward campus, grabbing hands.

“Cute? More like disgusting.” Tsukishima scoffed, shaking his head at how stupidly those two acted around each other. He respected Akaashi and Bokuto along with Daichi and Suga for their maturity in public, and they were actually in relationships! Hinata and Kageyama weren’t and they acted like lovesick fools. 

“C’mon, Tsukki. Cut them some slack, they hated each other when they first met, they’re not entirely sure how this works.” Yamaguchi said, leaning slightly into Tsukishima. The tall blonde sighed, looking away from Yamaguchi to avoid those beautiful eyes, because there was no way he could say no to those eyes.

“Whatever, they better figure it out soon or I might actually be sick.” Tsukishima muttered, earning an amused laugh from Yamaguchi as they headed to class. Tsukishima really did hope they figured it out soon, because he would honestly be sick if they didn’t. 

\----

The day drew on into the afternoon and was about to hit early evening when Kuroo and Tsukishima left the apartment to head back onto campus. Their classes had both finished for the day, but it was time for the weekly meeting of the stupid writing club Kuroo kept dragging Tsukishima to. Why had he even agreed to go again?

They pushed their way through the doors into the building and began the short trek up the stairs. As usual they were the first ones to arrive in the room. Tsukishima settled himself at the table where they usually sat at Kuroo pulled up the projector as if they would use it for the activity. 

Hinata and Kenma came in just on time and the meeting started. As usual, there wasn’t much to it, as Hinata and Kuroo started talking about the day rather than what they were there for. After about ten minutes of this, Tsukishima cleared his throat and Kuroo snapped to attention.

“Right, we should get started. I was thinking that we discuss relationships in stories. What makes a good relationship and how to develop one over the course of the story.” Kuroo started, looking around at the three members of his small club. Kenma cracked a small smile as he placed his phone face down on the desk. Tsukishima couldn’t help but smile as well. Kuroo may not have intended it, but he was talking about relationships with his boyfriend, his roommate that was in a relationship, and one of the people in their group dancing around a relationship. This was going to be entertaining, he thought, watching Hinata turn a light shade of pink.

“I’m more into action and adventure, especially if it takes place in a fantasy setting.” Hinata argued, trying his best not to look as flustered as he was. Tsukishima watched him with amusement, surprised when Kenma joined in.

“Relationships are essential, Shouyou. They may not be the focus of the story, but they’re very important to make them feel realistic. If you had a young character in their early teens placed smack in the middle of high school, there’s very little chance they will ignore every romantic advance.” Kenma explained, looking Hinata directly in the eye. Well, as well as he could manage considering Hinata was now squirming and avoiding eye contact.

“I think my favorite relationships are the ones where they start out as enemies and slowly progress into liking each other. The best part is when the insults become terms of endearment.” Kuroo continued, grinning at Kenma as they engaged in a rather entertaining conversation about romantic relationships in stories. Tsukishima simply enjoyed watching Hinata squirm as Kuroo explained the delicacies of an enemy to lover relationship. It was clear Hinata knew that he and Kageyama were such a relationship, but was becoming uncomfortable with the similarity to his situation.

“But you have to be careful that it doesn’t become abusive.” Kenma warned, looking briefly at Hinata as he said this. The small orange puff ball froze in his fidgeting, watching as Kenma’s expression turned back toward Kuroo, who was nodding in understanding. “An enemies to lovers relationship can go two ways. It can either become one of the two trying to dominate the other because of their desire to be better. Or it can turn comfortably into friendly competition where one or the other concedes on occasion when they realize the fighting might go too far.” Kenma explained, trying his best to not look over at Hinata.

It was probably the longest Tsukishima had ever heard Kenma speak, but it was amazing. Despite Tsukishima’s disgust toward Hinata and Kageyama’s dancing around each other, Kenma was right. However, from what Tsukishima had seen of the two, their relationship was not headed in the first direction. In fact, Kageyama had seemed to be conceding on more and more arguments to get Hinata to stop yelling at him.

Hianta shot to his feet, chair clattering against the desk behind him.

“I…I gotta go.” He muttered, rushing from the room so quickly he ran into the door frame as he left. Tsukishima watched him leave, shocked at the expression he had caught on Hinata’s face before he’d turned away. Something mixed between despair and realization had been in his eyes, the shape of his frown, and the crease of his brow. 

“What was that all about?” Kuroo asked, eyes wide with surprise and confusion. Kenma and Tsukishima exchanged a look before Kenma turned back to Kuroo.

“He’s got a lot on his mind. C’mon, we can talk more about it while you walk me home.” Kenma said with a smile, pushing out of his chair as he said this. Kuroo’s expression turned from shock to pure joy, a grin spreading across his face. 

“I think I’ll tag along.” Tsukishima offered, earning a short glare from Kuroo. “Yamaguchi lives in Kenma’s building, idiot.” Tsukishima shot back. Kuroo’s eyes widened and his mouth formed an ‘o’ before he offered Tsukishima a sheepish, apologetic look. Tsukishima simply rolled his eyes and lead the way from the room.

\----

Kenma’s apartment complex was much further from campus than Kuroo and Tsukishima’s, but it was worth the walk if it meant getting to see Yamaguchi for a bit. 

As Kuroo and Kenma walked slightly ahead, still discussing relationships in stories, Tsukishima idled behind, smiling slightly at the way the two interacted. It was an odd combination and not something Tsukishima would have expected of Kuroo. The black haired man was known for his long string of weeklong relationships where the other was often more stubborn than he was. There was that one musical theater kid that sang whenever she was over and, often, while she was in Kuroo’s room. 

He had once dated some dude who insisted he get to do whatever he wanted to Kuroo. It had taken a lot of convincing and number changing to get Kuroo out of that one. There had only ever been one relationship Kuroo had managed to hold for longer than a week, but even that had ended and it had been a little rocky near the end. 

Kenma was completely different from all of Kuroo’s past flings in every sense except one: he was just as stubborn. Otherwise he was soft spoken, lazy, submissive, and more than willing to put up with any crazy thing Kuroo threw his direction. Everyone else insisted on molding Kuroo to be what they wanted him to be and it was amazing seeing Kuroo in such a healthy relationship for once.

The group turned a corner and found themselves at Kenma’s apartment complex. The small man lived on the ground floor with some guy named Yaku that Tsukishima hadn’t met. Apparently, though, he had a boyfriend almost six inches taller than Tsukishima himself. It was something Tsukishima wouldn’t believe until he saw the man, which was likely to never happen.

As they headed to Kenma’s apartment they approached someone standing outside with an easel and a brush. As they drew closer, Tsukishima realized it was Yamaguchi painting outside. Kenma and Kuroo waved goodbye as Tsukishima stopped by the smaller person, looking over their shoulder to what they were painting. 

“Hey, Tsukki. Did you guys do something to Hinata?” Yamaguchi asked, not even looking up from the canvas as they proceeded to brush more paint onto its surface. The picture was of the apartment complex, but was against a beautiful sunset backdrop and was sprinkled with hints of spring instead of winter.

“Nope. We were just talking about relationships in fiction. Why?” Tsukishima asked, leaning forward to rest his chin on Yamaguchi’s shoulder. Yamaguchi snorted and turned toward Tsukishima, an amused grin on their face.

“You guys didn’t?” They asked, amused and incredulous at the same time. Tsukishima nodded, earning another laugh from the painter. “Oh my gosh, you guys are so mean! He came running into the apartment before I got out here all red in the face and muttering something about enemies to lovers.” Tsukishima laughed at this, earning a slap from Yamaguchi, whose hands were covered in still wet paint.

“Hey! Paint is hard to get out!” Tsukishima scolded teasingly, scooping a bit of paint off of Yamaguchi’s palette and drawing a line from Yamaguchi’s forehead to the tip of t heir nose. Yamaguchi gasped before giving Tsukishima an evil look that had his heart thudding in his chest.

“You’re lucky these are the cheap paints.” Yamaguchi threatened, picking up one of the bottles of paint and pouring a bunch into their hands. Tsukishima laughed loudly and backed away as Yamaguchi advanced with hands full of wet paint. They danced around, picking up new bottles, wiping paint all over their clothes, squirting paint directly at each other, and laughing all the while.

After several minutes of this, Tsukishima shoved his wet hands against Yamaguchi’s chest a little too hard. The smaller person tipped backward, squealing with fright before gripping Tsukishima’s wrists and dragging him down with them. Both men landed in a bush decorating the parking lot, laughing and covered in paint.

It took them a little while, but they managed to catch their breath and sighed deeply, grabbing hands and weaving their fingers together.

“I promise to reimburse you for those.” Tsukishima muttered, watching as yellow and pink paint mixed between their fingers. A little bit of it turned to a light orange hue, but most of it was dry and remained a single color.

“Thanks, but it’s alright, they were cheap.” Yamaguchi muttered, pushing themselves to their feet, much to Tsukishima’s dismay. They turned and offered a hand to the blonde to help him up. They pulled with a lot of effort, but Tsukishima was able to push himself up so he was standing above Yamaguchi whose face was covered with several different colors splattered in various different locations.

“You sure? I have to pay you back for this somehow.” Tsukishima said, looking down at the amber eyes that stuck out from all the colors on their face. Yamaguchi nodded, stepping closer.

“It’s fine, really. It’ll be difficult to get paint from this sweater, but I kind of wore it for the purpose of getting a little messy.” Yamaguchi responded, looking up at Tsukishima with a soft grin on their face. Tsukishima started counting their freckles before he realized he should probably respond.

“Alright, but I’ll have to take you out soon.” Tsukishima offered, earning a small chuckle from Yamaguchi.

“Fine, fine, but Kuroo’s probably wondering where you are and we both need to get cleaned up before this dries too much.” Yamaguchi replied. Tsukishima sighed, not wanting to go, but finally caved, giving Yamaguchi a small kiss before waving and heading in the direction that he had seen Kuroo go. 

Laughing fondly, Yamaguchi headed inside to get themselves cleaned up.

\----

The light from the sun had faded hours ago, but that didn’t mean Yamaguchi had to go to bed anytime soon. Hinata and Kenma were sitting on the couch with their laptops on their laps, looking over each others’ shoulders and comparing whatever it was they were doing.

They seemed to have some animation project they were working on, but Yamaguchi hadn’t been paying much attention when they explained it. Or, when Hinata had explained it using vague hand gestures and a lot of unnecessary sound effects, as if it would help Yamaguchi understand it. 

Either way, the room was generally quiet save the occasional comment or question from Hinata or Kenma. Yamaguchi remained on the couch, working on the painting they had been finishing up when Tsukishima showed up. It wasn’t terribly big, but they were trying to make it stand out as more than just a picture of their apartment complex. 

They was in the middle of adding a few small cherry blossom petals when Hinata drew their attention.

“Yamaguchi, how’s Tsukishima’s photo project going?” He asked, looking up from his computer, Kenma’s eyes drawn toward the brunette as well. Tsukishima hadn’t taken anymore pictures since that day in the snow, which relieved Yamaguchi. But there were still months before it was due and Tsukishima had said he wanted to try different settings.

“Um, well, I guess.” Yamaguchi responded, pulling a leg up toward their chest and hugging it close, trying to focus back on the painting.

“Really? What have you guys done so far?” Hinata asked, pushing the lid of his laptop down just a bit, as if it would help him see Yamaguchi better. The freckled brunette dipped their paintbrush in the water, recognizing the never ending question session from Hinata only two questions in. They pulled their other leg up to their chest and shrugged.

“Not much, just some pictures in the snow.” Yamaguchi responded, avoiding looking at Hinata, who began to ask more questions that Yamaguchi answered as shortly as they could manage. It wasn’t until question number ten that they really started to feel stressed over the excessive number of questions.

“I wish I had been his model. It’s super fun, huh, Yamaguchi?” Hinata asked, looking over at his friend and freezing at the rather desperate looking expression on their face. Everything about Tsukishima’s project overwhelmed them. How did Tsukishima think they were attractive with their fat face and freckles.

Fidgeting nervously with their sleeve, they looked up at Hinata, whose expression was no longer enthusiastic about the answers he was getting, but worried. Blinking rapidly to hold back the tears, Yamaguchi nodded.

“Yeah, it’s super fun.” They tried their best to keep from choking on the tears threatening to bubble over as Hinata closed his laptop completely.

“I didn’t mean to stress you out, Yamaguchi. I’m sorry.” Hinata said, getting to his feet to head toward Yamaguchi. The brunette stood as well, holding up their hands as a reflexive sign for Hinata to back off.

“No, no, it’s fine. I think I’ll go to bed early.” They muttered, holding back the sobs that threatened to wrack their body. Hinata watched with concern as Yamaguchi cleaned up their workspace and headed off to their bedroom, dropping onto their bed as soon as they were finished clearing everything away.

Yamaguchi enjoyed Tsukishima’s company so much. It was a lot of fun being with him, but the project stressed them out. They weren’t attractive or model worthy, Tsukishima must be more blind than his glasses suggest. With freckles spotting their skin, chubby cheeks, a sharp chin, huge eyes, stringy hair, and thin limbs, there was nothing attractive about them. What was Tsukishima seeing?

Silently they curled into a ball on their bed and softly began to sob, hoping Hinata wouldn’t hear, before falling asleep in that position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Pictures, Picnic, Punching
> 
> [Fandom Blog](http://lovers-be-nerds.tumblr.com/)  
> [Art Blog](http://willow-tea.tumblr.com/)


	13. Spring Smooches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picnic time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is really short and the next one probably will be too, but I hope you enjoy it!

Snow melted slowly as the days turned to weeks and the weeks to months. March turned swiftly into April and the end of the school year approached rapidly. Tsukishima had taken very few pictures of Yamaguchi so far, but a few pictures in the spring would look lovely with Yamaguchi’s skin tone and hair color. They were warm in complexion, meaning the stark white of winter hadn’t turned out the best pictures.

Tsukishima worked to set up his equipment as he waited for Yamaguchi. After the New Year celebration, they had drawn closer together. Kuroo and Kenma continued to get sappy, though Kenma often ignored Kuroo’s more dramatic advances. Everyone had settled comfortably into the new dynamics of the group and even Hinata and Kageyama no longer got flustered when someone teased them.

It was nice, to have peace and quiet for once. No one had called him out for dating Yamaguchi, though he knew there were snickers and whispers behind his back when he left classes. Still, he considered it a victory that they didn’t want to bring it up with him. It meant they were afraid of what he might do if they did. If they were intimidated by him, then they were more likely to leave Yamaguchi alone. 

Clicking the battery case shut, Tsukishima did one more check of his camera before setting it down. Just in time, too, because he spotted Yamaguchi approaching with a grin on their face brighter than the sun in the sky. Despite the melting of the snow and the approach of spring, there was still a chill in the air that required a light jacket, but that didn’t make Yamaguchi any less attractive.

Ever since the New Year’s party, Yamaguchi had grown much more comfortable with wearing the dresses they kept in their closet. As they had done a couple of times since January, they were wearing one such dress and Tsukishima couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face upon seeing them.

“You look amazing.” He said, sliding off the table he had been sitting on. Yamaguchi ducked their head to hide the blush that crossed their cheeks, but looked up quickly after, not minding Tsukishima’s gaze as much as they had months back. 

“Thanks, Tsukki. You look good too.” Yamaguchi responded, looking the tall blonde over. There was no significance to Tsukishima’s outfit. It was just a t-shirt under a simple jacket finished off with jeans. It was really all he ever wore.

“Heh, thanks.” Tsukishima replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes and earning a playful slap on the shoulder from Yamaguchi.

“You always look good, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi said, grabbing Tsukishima’s cheek gently and directing his gaze toward their eyes. Tsukishima didn’t fight them, looking into their beautiful amber eyes with a smile. 

“Whatever you say.” Tsukishima muttered, leaning forward and giving them a soft kiss on the lips. He reveled in the warmth and welcoming that kissing Yamaguchi offered and was disappointed when they pulled away.

“We should probably get started.” Yamaguchi said, giving Tsukishima a pointed look as they turned around and removed their jacket, setting it onto the table. Tsukishima watched their shoulders, exposed by a small gap between the thick straps and the sleeves, move and shift, the muscle beneath the skin tempting him to reach out and touch. 

However, he knew how sensitive Yamaguchi was about their body. He didn’t want to scare them.

Still, he was allowed to watch and had been caught on several occasions where skin was exposed only to be lightly scolded. Absently he played with his camera, watching Yamaguchi step around the table to find a small section of sapling trees resuming growth after the cold winter weather. They had fragile leaves just beginning to show on their branches which were reaching hungrily for the sun that had just come out from behind a cloud. 

“Ready?” Tsukishima asked, glad when Yamaguchi turned around and he could admire the freckles on their face. Yamaguchi nodded, posing the way Tsukishima had told them to once. It was a position that flattered the curves they actually had, unlike Tsukishima who had no curve whatsoever. 

“Yep.” Yamaguchi responded after adjusting the sleeve on their left arm. Tsukishima took up position and began snapping photos, considering ways to incorporate stars into this particular shoot. They were going to have to do a few at night to test out if there was any way to get the stars worked in there. For now, however, the late afternoon light was the perfect backdrop that complimented Yamaguchi perfectly.

For half an hour they continued on like this, finding new locations and poses for Yamaguchi to take while Tsukishima admired and snapped photos at the same time. After a while, Tsukishima drew closer, taking pictures zoomed in on Yamaguchi’s face and, the closer he got, the more they fidgeted nervously.

“Tsukki….” Yamaguchi muttered after Tsukishima’s shot got a clear view of the millions of freckles gracing their skin. Tsukishima let the camera rely on the strap holding it around his neck, sensing the distress in Yamaguchi’s tone.

“Sorry, I just wanted to get your freckles.” Tsukishima apologized, stepping closer and giving them a gentle kiss on the cheek. They leaned into the touch and smiled softly.

“I know…. I just don’t think I’m there yet.” Yamaguchi whispered, finding something about the moment required silence or near silence. Tsukishima turned his face from their cheek to their lips and gave them a soft kiss that drew their energy and spread warmth through their body. The sound of something clicking drew them from the beautiful reverie and toward the camera, which Tsukishima had lifted up to catch them kissing.

“Tsukki!” They scolded, throwing a soft punch at Tsukishima’s side, making him flinch and laugh. It was playful, not terribly bent on harming the tall blonde. Taking pictures of their freckles still made them uncomfortable, but they knew Tsukishima would never use these in his project.

“Sorry, sorry! I couldn’t help myself.” He laughed, letting the camera rest against his chest again and leaning forward to give Yamaguchi another kiss. They let him, smiling against his lips and feeling the push and pull that drew them in over and over again. 

Warmth spread through their lips and across their cheeks, slipping down their neck and toward their heart, swelling with absolute joy and satisfaction. Tsukishima pressed harder, pushing Yamaguchi against the tree they stood by. The smaller person allowed for this new advancement, opening up to let Tsukishima in.

Slowly he pressed harder, testing the waters before Yamaguchi opened their mouth to allow for a new experience. Tsukishima pressed his tongue gently into Yamaguchi’s mouth and walked them through the kiss. When he bit lightly against their lower lip they let out a small squeak and the kiss broke.

“Sorry, did I hurt you?” Tsukishima asked, worry filling his golden eyes. Yamaguchi shook their head, still feeling pressure on their lips as if they hadn’t stopped kissing. Swallowing nervously, they smiled a bit, trying not to draw their eyes to the red, swollen appearance of Tsukishima’s lips.

“Not at all. It was just a surprise, is all.” Yamaguchi explained, reaching a hand up and weaving their fingers in Tsukishima’s short hair. The tall blonde grinned back, leaning forward slowly to press his lips against Yamaguchi’s again, this time with more fervor and daring.

They allowed for the warming sensation to spread across their face again, aware they were probably turning a deep shade of red. This didn’t bother them, as Tsukishima’s kisses moved to the corner of their lips, allowing them to pant heavily for the air they had been denied moments earlier. His kisses moved across their cheek and found their way to their ear where they let out another small squeak at the feeling of Tsukishima nibbling at their earlobe. 

Instead of stopping to make sure Yamaguchi was okay, however, Tsukishima continued moving slowly down their neck, the sensation causing Yamaguchi to shiver gently. Tsukishima’s hands, having been resting on Yamagchi’s hips, began to move up their side and toward their shoulders, rubbing softly along their chest.

“Why do you like me, Tsukki?” The question come out without permission from Yamaguchi’s mind and, for a moment, the two froze and silence overcame them. Heat filled Yamaguchi up from the toes to their face and they were sure they were a thousand shades redder than moments earlier.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to say anything!” Yamaguchi exclaimed as Tsukishima pulled away from Yamaguchi’s neck. He grabbed their hand and directed them back to the table in complete silence, worrying Yamaguchi. Had they ruined in? Tsukishima was being really quiet. Granted, that was generally normal, this was kind of scary.

Tsukishima sat down on the bench and pulled Yamaguchi down beside him giving them a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“At first it was your beauty.” Tsukishima said, shocking Yamaguchi out of their thoughts and concerns. He was actually answering! Yamaguchi fidgeted nervously with the folds in their skirt using their free hand, listening but not making eye contact.

“You were a ghost of something perfect and I wanted you. But then I met you and I learned there was so much more to you than that. Your beauty is deeper than the surface, Yamaguchi. I like everything about you, Yamaguchi, but I especially like just how human you are. You don’t try to hide your problems and accept help when you need it. You are so unapologetically you around me, and I’m glad you’re comfortable enough for that.” Tsukishima explained, turning Yamaguchi’s gaze toward himself so he could look into their eyes. Tears began to well up in Yamaguchi’s eyes and they grinned from ear to ear.

“Tsukki….” They whispered, laughing giddily when Tsukishima leaned forward and kissed their eyes free of the tears. They continued to laugh happily, pulling Tsukishima in for a hug as he pressed gentle kisses down their neck again and toward their exposed shoulders. Laughter rang from their chest until Tsukishima let a kiss go with a pop and they let out a small squeak. 

“Sorry, that was loud.” Tsukishima apologized, avoiding looking at Yamaguchi, who pulled back at Tsukishima and pulled his face toward theirs. His face was a deep shade of red, clearly embarrassed from the noise the kiss had made. Yamaguchi giggled then, cupping his face in their hands and giving him a long, passionate kiss.

They remained like this, in their own world, kissing as if there was no one else around. Tsukishima explored a bit more down Yamaguchi’s neck and around their shoulders while Yamaguchi weaved their fingers in and out of his hair.

Then something loud began to whir beside them.

Both jumped nearly a foot in the air, looking toward the source of the noise on the table. Tsukishima had left his phone there during the photo shoot and it was currently ringing madly, the vibrate setting making it sound angry.

Groaning, Tsukishima picked it up and answered, leaving Yamaguchi to laugh nervously as they calmed themselves down from the shock.

“What do you want?” Tsukishima grumbled into the phone. There was silence for a moment save the vague noises of someone speaking on the other end. Tsukishima grunted a couple of times and closed his eyes in exasperation.

“Kuroo, tell Bokuto to shut up, I can’t hear you.” Tsukishima growled, making Yamaguchi laugh. The tall blonde nudged them playfully without looking down, only making them laugh harder. There was more noise from the other end of the phone, but it was more subdued and Yamaguchi assumed that Kuroo had told Bokuto to shut up.

“Wait, you’re looking for us?” Tsukishima’s slouched position shot straight up, causing Yamaguchi to jump as they watched Tsukishima scanning the park desperately. “Why are you looking for us?” Tsukishima demanded, relaxing only when he had determined Kuroo wasn’t anywhere nearby. 

There’s more silence and Yamaguchi pulls their jacket off the table and over their shoulders, glad for the chill because there was definitely a hickey forming where Tsukishima popped his lips off their skin. There’s a really long spiel on the other end of the line as Yamaguchi watches, Tsukishima’s features slumping lower and lower, becoming more exasperated with every word.

“Ugh, fine, we’ll be right there.” Tsukishima mutters, hanging up before Kuroo has the chance to finish his sentence. Yamaguchi looks up at Tsukishima, cocking his head sideways out of curiosity.

“Kuroo and Bokuto planned a picnic and were going to surprise us.” Tsukishima told them, tucking his phone into his pocket and letting out another groan. Yamaguchi smiled fondly and leaned into Tsukishima.

“Glad they didn’t find us, huh?” Yamaguchi asked, nudging Tsukishima teasingly. The tall blonde looked away, but Yamaguchi knew he was turning a deep shade of pink. Chuckling lightly to themselves, they stood and helped Tsukishima gather all his stuff. Grabbing his hand, Yamaguchi allowed Tsukishima to lead them toward where Kuroo had said they would be.

It didn’t take long to find them, though they really only had to follow the noise once they drew close enough to hear it. Bokuto was going off about something with Kuroo while Akaashi and Kenma had a civil conversation beside them. Hinata and Kageyama were playing a card game that required lots of slapping and fast card moving. Ukai was sitting in a corner with a book, Takeda’s head on his lap, also reading a book. Suga and Daichi set up plates and rummaged through the picnic basket, the first ones to notice Tsukishima and Yamaguchi when they approached. 

“Hey, you two! How are you?” Suga called, waving as they approached. Yamaguchi waved back and Tsukishima simply nodded.

“We’re good. How are you?” Yamaguchi responded for them both, the conversation with Suga remaining light and fun. As they took their seats, the entire gang drew their attention from what they were doing and the food eating began.

The sun began to set not long after and the group enjoyed food and games while the light faded. Tsukishima remained as far out of playing games as he could, but it was kind of hard to do when Hinata was pestering him nonstop. After a little while, he gave in to a small game that didn’t require him to be too competitive. 

After the game had finished and Tsukishima finally weaseled away from Hinata, he turned to grab a cookie and watch everyone from a distance, noting the odd way Kageyama pulled at his shorts and refused to move too much. It was just like Kageyama to wear shorts even though the weather was still a bit chilly. However, he seemed to refuse to change his sitting position even though he fidgeted with the desire to.

“How’s the photography project going?” Turning at the sound of a voice beside him, he found Kenma, Suga, Daichi, and Akaashi sitting on a rather calm circle beside him. Ukai and Takeda were still in their own corner of the blanket, but it looked like Takeda had fallen asleep and Ukai was no longer reading, the light too low to allow for that. Everyone else played the game with Hinata.

“It’s going well. There’s still a lot to do and probably a few more photos to take, but it should be done on time.” Tsukishima responded, scooting a bit closer to where Suga sat. The man nodded, smiling a fond looking smile before leaning slightly over so he was against Daichi. 

“That’s good. I hope Yamaguchi’s handling it well, they still seem hesitant to talk about it, but they really like you.” Suga said, smiling lightly, his eyes drooping slightly as if tired. Daichi stroked a thumb over his boyfriends hand, almost lulling him to sleep with this action. 

“Yeah. I really like them too. I hope this isn’t too much for them.” Tsukishima admitted, looking over his shoulder to where Yamaguchi laughed at something Kageyama and Hinata were arguing about. They looked so completely happy.

“They’ll be fine, they’re stronger than they look.” Suga responded, letting out a small yawn. Tsukishima was about to say something else when a loud shout caught his attention.

“Kageyama, what is that!?” It was Bokuto, whose face wasn’t one of shock or confusion, but of someone who’s in on a secret. Kageyama had stood up, facing off with Hinata as if challenging him to something when Bokuto had looked up and spotted something.

In the dying light, it was hard to see small details, but what Bokuto saw wasn’t hard to spot, even from Tsukishima’s distance. Right below Kageyama’s left knee, tucked neatly on the inside of his leg, was a small, purple circle.

Disgusting, Tsukishima thought, watching as the tall man became flustered. 

“I-I bruised myself on the corner of a low table.” Kageyama explained, looking down to see what Bokuto had shouted about, face turning deep red in the light. Tsukishima looked over at Hinata, who actually didn’t look as flustered as Kageyama but, rather, something entirely different. Tsukishima squinted, trying to figure out why Hinata was smiling and hiding a smile behind his hand. Wait a second…was that…pride?

Further disgusted by Hinata and Kageyama’s antics, Tsukishima rolled his eyes as Bokuto attempted to get a different answer from the man. It looked as if Hinata and Kageyama had not only solved their issues with each other, but had taken it pretty far. 

“Oho! Can the height of this low table be adjusted, because it looks as if there’s another bruise!” This time it was Kuroo, who had pointed out another bruise on Kageyama’s thigh, just above the bend behind the knee. Kageyama, becoming more and more flustered, attempted to find an excuse for this but was a fish out of water, flapping helplessly on dry land.

Tsukishima turned away, only pausing to note the amused look on Yamaguchi’s face as they laughed at the antics of their childhood friend and his new boy toy. After taking in the way they seemed to light the approaching night, he turned back to the group he was sitting with. They were all watching with pure amusement, even Kenma was smiling. 

Everyone was so busy watching Kageyama attempt to explain the bruises they didn’t notice a group of three men approach them, smirks on their faces. Tsukishima instantly recognized the guy at the head of the group and began to bristle. 

“Well, if it isn’t mud boy and his freak show.” The man laughed, drawing the attention of the entire group, much to Kageyama’s relief. Still, most of the people sitting on the picnic blanket shot confused looks at the man, but Tsukishima knew who it was.

“Why can’t you leave Yamaguchi alone?” Tsukishima spat, holding himself back from shooting to his feet and facing off with them at a level playing ground. The man turned toward the sound of Tsukishima’s voice and his smirk widened.

“If it isn’t the mud boyfriend. You look pretty clean right now, but be careful, he can get really messy.” Tsukishima fought a blush hard as the three men laughed. Kuroo, Bokuto, and Ukai all seemed to be bristling in similar manners, eyes narrowed angrily, bodies tense. The movement and noise had woken Takeda, who was now looking between the standing group and his boyfriend.

“What’s your problem with them?” Tsukishima hissed, trying not to stand as the man shrugged. Yamaguchi hadn’t moved or said anything, but Tsukishima was tired of all this idiotic mocking. If they couldn’t act like college students, they didn’t deserve to be college students.

“Nothing, until you came along. He was just fun to pick on.” The man at the front said, crossing his arms over his chest and grinning maliciously at Tsukishima. One of the men standing behind him leaned forward and whispered something in his ear and he turned to look at Yamaguchi, letting out a sudden laugh.

“Is mud boy wearing a dress!? This is too good! Mud boy is actually mud girl!” Tsukishima was done at these words, especially since there were now tears streaming down Yamaguchi’s face. Shooting to his feet, Tsukishima approached the man at the front of the group, body in full swing. 

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi’s voice was drowned out by the various other exclamations of his name and the sounds of his other friends getting up to come after him. 

They weren’t fast enough, because Tsukishima’s fist made contact without hesitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Yamaguchi's had enough
> 
> [Fandom Blog](http://lovers-be-nerds.tumblr.com/)  
> [Art Blog](http://willow-tea.tumblr.com/)


	14. Worry War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima goes for a jog with Kuroo and Bokuto and they exchange ideas on how to solve Yamaguchi's problem. Then Tsukishima and Yamaguchi take more photos and things get a bit crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really short, but it doesn't really need to be long. Enjoy!

The sun shone brightly against the trees and bushes as they passed. Its warmth lasted mere seconds as Tsukishima moved without pause. Ahead of him Kuroo and Bokuto discussed musicals and the songs in each. They were currently in deep about Dear Evan Hansen and Be More Chill, neither of which Tsukishima knew.

Rarely ever did the tall blonde join the discussions about musicals, though he knew plenty from living with Kuroo for so long. Even if he didn’t live with the man, he would still know more musicals than he really needed to. 

“But Michael in the Bathroom or Words Fail?” Bokuto asked, panting between words to catch his breath. It was rare to get both Bokuto and Kuroo up this early, but they had insisted on going for a run, something the trio did about once every three months. 

“I don’t see why you’re asking, there not similar.” Kuroo protested, breath even and calm. Both Bokuto and Kuroo were in far better shape than Tsukishima, who was having trouble keeping up, but Bokuto was more of the muscle type and his stamina had always been directed differently than Kuroo’s. Running and other fast, footwork sports were Kuroo’s forte.

“But they are! Michael degrades himself in Michael in the Bathroom and Evan in Words Fail. Which is the ultimate pity party song?” Bokuto asked, throwing his hands around dramatically despite his clearly diminishing energy. Still, he was able to easily keep pace with Kuroo, unlike Tsukishima. Despite his lithe build, Tsukishima was out of shape. He really owed his build to his lack of eating, a bad habit Kuroo tried hard to remedy. 

“If we’re going with pity party songs, I think we should compare Michael in the Bathroom to Waving Through a Window, considering Evan recognizes that he can be better at the end of Words Fail.” Kuroo pointed out, directing the trio around a corner as Bokuto shook his head.

“In that case, Michael in the Bathroom wins by a landslide! He’s in a bathroom, at a party, singing about how pitiful he is! Waving Through a Window can’t compare.” Bokuto argued, earning an insistent head shake from Kuroo.

“No, no. Waving Through a Window is about not being seen and avoiding people at all costs. Evan spends the entire song singing about how horrible he is and that he can’t let people see that. And, when you think about it in context to the rest of the musical, he sings about his attempted suicide! Michael can’t top that.” Kuroo argued back, throwing his own hands around dramatically.

Despite the fact that musicals were a common topic for these two, this particular subject was definitely…dark. Tsukishima knew Kuroo and Bokuto would spend hours arguing over which song was better, two songs from different musicals with similar meanings. However, this was the first time he had listened to them compare which song was the better depressing ballad. 

Definitely darker than their usual topics.

The argument continued in a similar manner as Bokuto defended Michael in the Bathroom and Kuroo argued for Waving Through a Window. Either way, they both sounded pretty depressing. Sadly, as he listened to this argument, Tsukishima’s thoughts drifted to Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi was insecure like Evan, but they had plenty of good friends and their only insecurity was their looks. Evan, from what Kuroo was saying, hated everything about himself. Tsukishima panted heavily, watching as he fell behind just a little bit more.

The picnic a week and a half ago had gone smoothly up until those jerks had shown up. Tsukishima knew he had been stupid to attack them, but they insulted Yamaguchi every time they were around. Tsukishima couldn’t hold himself back, he cared about Yamaguchi and they deserved to be left alone.

Luckily, Kuroo and Bokuto had managed to alleviate the situation and the men had left. Tsukishima’s fist had ached like the first time he had punched the guy, but it was a good ache. Yamaguchi had scolded him again, Hinata had awed at Tsukishima with Kageyama in the background standing slack jawed. 

The picnic had gone home after that and no one had said much about it since. Kuroo and Bokuto voiced concerns for Yamaguchi’s well being the day after, but Tsukishima had used his naturally standoffish nature to make them back off. Akaashi hadn’t dropped it, but Tsukishima knew Akaashi cared a lot for Yamaguchi, despite not having known them for very long.

“Tsukishima!” Someone shouted his name and the tall blonde snapped out of his thoughts to find both Kuroo and Bokuto had dropped back and were on either side of him. Bokuto looked extremely concerned but Kuroo was merely amused, that stupid grin on his face.

“Hey, space ranger, we’re still on Earth, ya know.” Kuroo teased, earning a solid glare from Tsukishima. The black haired man had learned long ago that Tsukishima didn’t physically fight back when Kuroo teased, so he never flinched when these glares were shot this way. Bokuto was a different story, being the bench presser that he was. 

“Shut up.” Tsukishima grunted, having trouble saying anything with how out of breath he was. The pace slowed, having been directed by Kuroo, and the trio began a gentle walk.

“I was just wondering if Yamaguchi was doing okay? I know you didn’t want to talk about it last week, but we’re still worried.” Bokuto explained, panting lightly as he asked. Kuroo nodded to acknowledge that he agreed with what Bokuto was saying. Tsukishima looked toward the ground, watching his feet and catching his breath. It was a few minutes before Tsukishima finally spoke, a new record for silence from Kuroo and Bokuto when they were together.

“I think they’re fine. They’re resilient.” Tsukishima responded, feeling life come back into him bit by bit as he caught his breath. 

“Yeah, but, like, how long has this been going on?” Kuroo asked, concern creasing his own brow. Despite his outgoing personality and lack of deep thought, Kuroo cared about everyone he knew, even if he barely knew them. Considering they were Tsukishima’s significant other, he cared a whole lot more.

“They said it’s been years.” Tsukishima responded, noting the distressed and angry expressions that crossed Kuroo and Bokuto’s expressions. He wouldn’t have admitted it, but he appreciated how much they cared about Yamaguchi. 

“Is there any way to get it to stop?” Kuroo asked and Tsukishima shrugged, looking up to the trail ahead of them. He’d thought long and hard about it since the first day it had happened. Well, the first day it had happened with Tsukishima there. 

“I have no idea.” Tsukishima muttered, letting out a defeated sigh. He thought about this every second he wasn’t thinking about class or how beautiful Yamaguchi was. But it was kind of hard to stop something that the internet had started.

For a moment, the three walked in silence, passing several other pedestrians. One guy they passed stopped and turned, shouting at them from behind.

“Hey, it’s mud boys boyfriend!” He shouted, laughing as if it was the funniest thing he had ever said. Both Kuroo and Bokuto snapped to attention as Tsukishima turned on his heel faster than he had ever moved in his life. He wasn’t able to land a punch, as both Kuroo and Bokuto grabbed his arms before he could, but the smirk wiped right off the man’s face and that was almost satisfaction enough.

“Careful, fire boy, you burn too hot you’ll turn him into some malformed pot.” The guy spat, turning and jogging away, glancing behind himself to make sure Tsukishima wasn’t following. Once the guy was completely out of sight and Tsukishima had relaxed, Kuroo and Bokuto released his arms.

“Maybe you can teach Yamaguchi to fight?” Bokuto suggested after the three collected themselves. Kuroo smirked, letting a small laugh slip as he did so, immediately slapping a hand over his mouth and looking warily at Tsukishima.

“No, it’s not like I actually fight. I kind of just…punch first and think later.” Tsukishima muttered, realizing that not only would his fighting tips be useless, he wasn’t sure how well Yamaguchi would be able to use them. They could be pretty passionate about some things, but he wasn’t sure if they had enough of that to pump the correct adrenaline that was required for such a rash action as a punch. 

“Yeah, well, we gotta do something.” Kuroo muttered, looking down at the ground. The air felt suddenly heavier as the three attempted to think up a solution. Nothing came to mind and, eventually, they turned around and headed back to the apartment to get cleaned up. 

\----

The sun had fallen toward the horizon a bit since their run and Tsukishima couldn’t stand the thought of sitting and watching Yamaguchi crumble beneath the words of bullies. There had to be a way to get the bullies to quit picking on them. 

As he packed his camera into his bag, he glanced out the window and took note of the scary looking storm clouds advancing toward the city. Before he left the house, he grabbed a cardigan sweater and slipped it on, closing the door as soon as his hands were free.

The project for his class was almost due and he had to get a few more pictures. Plus, he wanted a good excuse to see Yamaguchi. They had told him countless times that he could see them whenever he wanted just because he wanted to see them, but he didn’t want them to feel as if he was taking all their time, so he always found an excuse. 

The walk to the park wasn’t terribly long, but Tsukishima always managed to arrive after Yamaguchi. He found them sitting at a picnic table, playing with their phone, beautiful hair falling before their face, shielding it from view.

“Hey, you ready?” Tsukishima asked as he approached, smiling when Yamaguchi looked up at him. Their features were so wonderful, despite the disappearing light as the clouds began covering the sun.

“Are you sure you still want to do pictures? The clouds are coming out.” Yamaguchi commented, looking up as the nasty grey clouds slowly covered the sky. Tsukishima shrugged and took a seat beside Yamaguchi.

“The fun part about being a photographer is figuring out how to make unexpected setting change work.” Tsukishima responded, looking into their eyes with a fond smile. Yamaguchi chuckled, corners of their eyes crinkling at the action. Leaning forward, Tsukishima gave them a small kiss before pulling back and standing, offering them a hand to stand.

For an hour they worked on taking pictures as the clouds rolled in, threatening rain. Still, they worked through the threat of rain as the clouds progressed further, stretching from one end of the sky to the other. When they finally sat down to talk, there was no sight of the blue sky.

Yamaguchi pulled their jacket back on, hiding the beautiful freckles that had been exposed without it. Even with this obstacle, Tsukishima still marveled in the beautiful freckles on their face and down their neck that disappeared beneath the jacket. 

“Kuroo and Bokuto were concerned about you.” Tsukishima muttered after he had given them a small kiss. Yamaguchi smiled, expression turning sheepish as if it was their fault Kuroo and Bokuto was concerned about them.

“They don’t have to be, I’m fine.” Yamaguchi muttered, avoiding Tsukishima’s gaze by looking at their hands. Tsukishima grabbed one of their hands with his and then used the other to direct Yamaguchi’s gaze back up at him. 

“We’re all worried, Yamaguchi. We want to help, we’re just not sure how.” Tsukishima explained, looking into their eyes, glad to see the sheepishness die out to be replaced with gratitude. They were slowly learning that help was acceptable and they didn’t need to hold out on their own.

“No ideas?” Yamaguchi asked, sounding just a bit as if they hoped there was an idea. Tsukishima shrugged and let go of their chin so he could turn and face out from the table.

“Bokuto suggested that I teach you to fight.” Tsukishima admitted, making Yamaguchi laugh just a little bit at the thought of this. Tsukishima couldn’t help but laugh a bit as well, recalling the crazy idea. There was no way that would be terribly effective on the bullies.

“You don’t really fight, though. You kind of just punch and hope not to get hit back.” Yamaguchi pointed out, nudging Tsukishima playfully. Tsukishima grinned wider, looking back down at them with a lifted eyebrow. 

“How could you know how I fight?” He asked jokingly, glad to hear them laugh some more at that. Happy to live forever with just the sound of that laugh, Tsukishima leaned forward when they finished laughing and kissed them, glad to live forever with the feeling of his lips on theirs. Nothing else needed to exist but Yamaguchi and Tsukishima would be happy.

For what felt like eternity, they remained there, warmth and pure joy welling up in Tsukishima’s chest as he pushed himself closer to Yamaguchi, pressing kisses down their face and toward their neck, where he bit lightly, making them squeak. 

Smiling against their neck, Tsukishima continued to press kisses against their neck, letting a few pop and feeling pleasure roll in his gut, knowing that there are going to be marks there. Yamaguchi rested one hand in Tsukishima’s hair and another on his arm.

“Tsukki…” They muttered, breathless and pleading. Tsukishima felt himself heat up at the sound of his voice on Yamaguchi’s voice in that tone. They said it a couple more times as he worked in more hickeys against their shoulder, under the jacket.

“Tsukki, let’s go to my place.” Yamaguchi whispered, and Tsukishima was almost one hundred percent sure he was going to die right then and there. He pulled back and looked into their amber eyes, alight with pleasure and desire. 

“Are you sure?” He asked, more than thrilled to head off to Yamaguchi’s place for more, but not entirely sure how they feel about it. 

“Yeah.” It sounded hesitant and they avoided looking at him as they said it. When they glanced up to see Tsukishima’s expression of concern their gaze became determined and they smiled. “Tsukishima Kei, will you be my first?” They asked and Tsukishima shot to his feet, slipping his arms underneath their legs and behind their back, lifting them in a single swift movement. He immediately began heading to the edge of the park in the direction of Yamaguchi’s apartment.

“Tsukki! Tsukki, put me down, I can walk!” Yamaguchi was laughing hysterically at this point, but Tsukishima wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. Yamaguchi continued to push and wriggle, attempting to get free of Tsukishima’s grasp. It wasn’t until a thought crossed Tsukishima’s mind that he stopped walking and looked down at the giggling worm.

“Is Hinata home?” He asked, really hoping Yamaguchi would say no and that they could continue. He knew Kuroo was over and there was no way he would get away with sneaking Yamaguchi back to his room without Kuroo noticing. He probably had Bo and Akaashi over, and that was definitely not something he’d live down.

“Put me down and I’ll look into it.” Yamaguchi demanded, sighing a breath of relief as Tsukishima gently put them back down. They pulled their phone out and began texting Hinata, Tsukishima watching them without looking over their shoulder. It was a few minutes before either said anything.

“Nope, he says he’ll be out all night with friends.” Yamaguchi responded, looking up into Tsukishima’s golden eyes with a grin.

“Perfect.” Tsukishima whispered, leaning forward to give them a kiss. They were about to start moving again when a voice caught their attention and the mood dropped immediately.

“Shouldn’t you two be in a pig pen or something?” It was the same jerk Tsukishima had almost punched earlier that morning. Tsukishima grabbed Yamaguchi’s hand and began to direct him away, holding back as much as he could. He wasn’t going to punch this guy, he repeated in his head, determined to make it so.

“C’mon! That is where mud lovers make mud babies, isn’t it?” The guy shouted at their backs. Tsukishima was prepared to keep going, but Yamaguchi stopped and tugged at his hand. Tsukishima looked down to see a look of anger and annoyance on their face. Why was he so turned on right now?

“You know what, no. I have had enough! I am not a mud child and he is not my mud boyfriend! My name is Yamaguchi Tadashi and I prefer to be called as such!” Yamaguchi turned swiftly, heading straight toward the man with rage as they pounded on their chest with a fist to add emphasis.

Tsukishima watched with awe and admiration. 

“Aww, is the little mud flower angry?” The guy teased, taking a step forward as Yamaguchi approached him. There was very little time for Tsukishima to react as Yamaguchi swung back to gain momentum and punched the guy square in the nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: I can't believe I finally got to the smut chapter


	15. Sensual Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima helps Yamaguchi through their first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this was awesome. I have never written smut before, so bear with me. It's pretty much the entire chapter, so if you want to skip it, sorry, you have to skip the entire chapter. Unless you want to read the beginning, where they only really just talk about it, you can go until "'Tsukki! Let me open the door first!'" said by Yamaguchi. That's about where it really starts. I hope those who do read enjoy it, it was fun!

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima raced across uneven grass, concrete paths, jumping over bushes in their haste to reach the edge of the park. Hysterical laughter could be heard by anyone they passed, their joy and amusement contagious to all. Yamaguchi trailed slightly behind Tsukishima, whose hand held theirs so that they couldn’t get separated.

It didn’t take long to reach the edge of the park, the busy road beyond stopping them in their tracks as they continued to laugh, suddenly breathless from the sprint. Tsukishima turned toward the park as Yamaguchi straightened to allow air into their lungs. He wanted to make sure they hadn’t been followed, since that guy had definitely looked pissed.

As they caught their breath and Tsukishima confirmed they hadn’t been followed, the two faced each other, faces breaking into wide grins before they began to laugh again. Yamaguchi’s eyes crinkled at the corners in that beautiful way, drawing Tsukishima close to them. He wanted them even more than he had earlier when they had asked him to be their first. 

Slowly approaching them until they were almost brushing chests, Tsukishima grabbed Yamaguchi’s hand and observed the blood and bruising that was beginning to form there. It was going to take a few days before it was better, but it was small enough that it had to be worth it. 

“You’re gonna need to wrap that up.” Tsukishima finally said, pulling the hand close and giving it a gentle kiss over one of the bruised areas. He tried not to get blood on his lips, but wanted to make it feel better. Yamaguchi giggled senselessly, looking almost dizzy from the run.

“Later, Tsukki. We have to get to my place.” Yamaguchi responded, dropping their hand when Tsukishima let it go. Tsukishima sighed, realizing they were right. But in that moment, looking at them, breathless from running and laughing so hard, they were more beautiful than before.

“That was amazing.” Tsukishima whispered, pressing himself up against Yamaguchi. The smaller person backed away, giggling at the way Tsukishima continued to step forward until they were pressed up against a thick tree at the edge of the park. Yamaguchi was glad they had caught their breath when Tsukishima leaned forward and pressed hungry lips to theirs, taking their breath away as he pressed harder and harder against their body.

“It hurt like hell.” Yamaguchi muttered when he pulled away long enough to allow them to breath. Tsukishima nodded and chuckled, having done the same thing enough times to know just how much it hurt to punch someone. Tsukishima leaned forward again, pressing gentle kisses against the corner of Yamaguchi’s mouth and down their cheek toward their neck where he bit against soft, sensitive skin. Yamaguchi’s entire body shivered, but they held back from making noise as Tsukishima played with their freckles.

“You’re so beautiful.” Tsukishima whispered, another shiver coursing down Yamaguchi’s body as he said this. Tsukishima was busy eating Yamaguchi’s neck as the smaller person muttered Tsukishima’s name, holding back on the moans that threatened to surface. There were still people around them, they needed to get to Yamaguchi’s apartment.

“Tsukki.” Yamaguchi whispered, finding it was harder to be loud and authoritative when Tsukishima Kei was forming hickeys on their neck. Clearing their throat, they pushed a hand against Tsukishima’s chest to get him off of them.

“Tsukki, we need to go to my place.” Yamaguchi insisted, looking into his golden eyes and almost melting under the pleading gaze. He wanted them and they wanted him but they weren’t about to agree to doing it for the first time in a park in the middle of the day. It would be in their bedroom on their bed where Tsukishima could treat them right. Yep, they had planned this.

“Right, of course.” Tsukishima muttered, pulling back and offering a hand to Yamaguchi, who took it gladly. Slowly he lead them away from the edge of the park and back toward the sidewalk where they began the long trek to Yamaguchi’s apartment. There had to be something to talk about to break the silence….

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi asked, waiting for a small hum of response before continuing. “You’ve done this before, right?” Yamaguchi asked, earning the full attention of the man whose hand they held. 

“Yeah. Are you scared?” Tsukishima asked, squeezing lightly on their hand as if in reassurance. Grinning at the feeling, Yamaguchi shrugged, looking back at the trail ahead of them.

“A little, yeah. But, Tsukki, who was your first? If you don’t mind my asking.” Yamaguchi asked, hastily dropping in the last sentence to make sure Tsukishima knew he didn’t have to say. Tsukishima turned his face away from them, a blush creeping up his neck and across his cheeks. There was a moment of silence before he finally sighed and glanced back at them before looking ahead.

“Kuroo.” He muttered. Yamaguchi gasped, choking on saliva as they did so, leading to a rather embarrassing coughing fit. Oddly enough it seemed this reaction was far more embarrassing for Tsukishima, whose face turned an even darker shade of pink.

“Kuroo? Wait, were you guys a thing?” Yamaguchi asked, extremely incredulous of this answer. Kuroo and Tsukishima had seemed like such good friends, there couldn’t have been any possible way they were ever lovers. Yet, there was Tsukishima, nodding his head before opening his mouth to speak.

“Yeah. For about a year or two. We met in high school and were friends for a while. At the end of his senior year he admitted to liking me and asked if we could do it. I admitted to being a virgin and he promised to show me the ropes.” Tsukishima responded, rubbing his free hand against the back of his neck. Yamaguchi continued to look up at him with shock written all over their face.

“What was it like?” Yamaguchi asked, voice going soft as the subject became a bit more personal. Tsukishima cringed, squeezing Yamaguchi’s hand involuntarily as memories flooded back to him.

“Rough. Painful, most of the time. The first time he was nice, since he knew I hadn’t done it before. He kept asking if it was fine to go harder, faster. I kept agreeing, it felt so good. But then he started taking it too far. I tried to tell him, but he was never a good listener. Eventually we ended our relationship for several reasons. Mostly because we just couldn’t be intimate together without one of us not being satisfied.” Tsukishima explained as they walked, turning a corner toward Yamaguchi’s apartment. “He needs someone who can patiently handle his outgoing personality, I needed someone who would listen.” Tsukishima added, squeezing Yamaguchi’s hand again as they continued on. 

Yamaguchi felt warmth swell in their heart as they heard this. They were Tsukishima’s perfect match. They knew what it felt like to not be heard, so they had perfected listening both to help those who needed it, but also because no one ever listened to them. Kuroo finally got what he needed with Kenma, who never scolded Kuroo or rarely spoke at all. Yamaguchi was a little frightened about how Kuroo might be toward the smaller man in bed, but knew it wasn’t their place to ask. 

“I’m sorry about that, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi muttered after a moment of silence. To their surprise, though, Tsukishima shrugged it off.

“It’s not that big of a deal. I learned a lot about myself in that relationship. Kuroo and I realized we were better off friends and that hasn’t changed.” Tsukishima responded, looking down at Yamaguchi and giving them a reassuring smile. Yamaguchi returned the smile, pleased that Kuroo and Tsukishima got along so well despite their past. 

“I’m glad you guys get along so well. I don’t know if Kenma would have ever met him if you didn’t know each other.” Yamaguchi replied, thinking back to how Hinata had been the one to ultimately introduce them. Tsukishima shook his head, though, laughing lightly as he thought about it.

“No, Kuroo would have been fine without me. He first saw Kenma in one of his classes. He would have eventually approached him on his own, he may be shy about liking people, but he’s still Kuroo.” Tsukishima responded. Yamaguchi grinned, laughing a bit as well. Maybe they hadn’t gotten the whole story from Kenma. They had never really asked, though, so they supposed it was partially their fault.

The two turned another corner and Yamaguchi’s apartment complex came into view. Nerves began to dance along Yamaguchi’s skin again, nervousness and excitement rolling up into one feeling that they couldn’t quite name. Butterflies fluttered around in their gut as Tsukishima walked them toward their apartment door, pulling them in for a kiss before they even got the chance to grab their keys.

“Tsukki! Let me open the door first!” They giggled, fumbling for their pocket as Tsukishima pressed them against the wall beside the door. His hands played along their hips, getting in the way as they tried to wrangle their keys from the pocket where Tsukishima held them down.

They eventually managed to free the keys and turned themselves around. Even then they were not free from Tsukishima’s pushy mouth as he nibbled at the exposed skin beneath their hair where it had been swept away by long, thin fingers. 

Opening the door, Tsukishima pushed Yamaguchi into the apartment, pulling off his cardigan sweater and pulling the door shut simultaneously. He knotted it around his waist as if saving it for later as he pushed Yamaguchi backward. They dropped their keys on a side table, fighting against Tsukishima’s pushy hands and mouth, trying hard not to laugh when his thin fingers tickled their sides under their shirt. 

Slipping their jacket off, they barely had any time to put their arms down before Tsukishima began to pull their shirt over their head, tossing it haphazardly onto the floor. Hasty steps pushed Yamaguchi against the armrest of the apartments couch and, with a yelp, the brunette fell backward with a thwump against the cushions. 

Tsukishima crawled on top of them, pressing kisses against their lips hungrily. Yamaguchi smiled into each one, trying hard not to laugh at his pure insistence. Between kisses Tsukishima threw around compliments and praises and Yamaguchi felt joy and love well up inside of themselves. 

“Tsukki.” They muttered when the persistent blonde finally moved toward their neck, exploring toward their shoulder where he pressed and sucked and popped. Yelping lightly at each new hickey made, Yamaguchi felt pleasure fill them up as Tsukishima grinded his hips against theirs, rubbing their clothed cocks together. 

“Tsukki.” This came out far more like a whimper than they had intended and they had to fight the blush crawling up their cheeks as Tsukishima’s fingers tickled up their sides and his lips danced down their chest. Gasping with pleasure, Yamaguchi looked down to find Tsukishima’s teeth nibbling on their left nipple, his hand playing with the right one. Rubbing and pressing and pinching and biting and Yamaguchi felt pure sensation take over them and they almost disappeared in it before they realized something.

“Tsukki, wait!” They gasped, feeling pleasure tickled down their stomach as Tsukishima placed more kisses against their sensitive skin. They moaned into the press of his lips as he kissed against their navel, exploring further down until his mouth found their jean button and zipper, using his mouth to undo both. Wow, who knew Tsukishima was so skilled. Wait, hold on!

“Tsukishima Kei!” Yamaguchi protested, groaning as Tsukishima began pulling their pants off their waist. Finally, the blonde listened, looking up from where his chin rested against their pelvis just above their waistline.

“What?” He whined, sounding slightly irritated about being stopped right before he got to the good part. As much as Yamaguchi would have loved to watch Tsukishima suck his dick from that position, there was something a bit more important they needed to take care of.

“We need to go to my room.” Yamaguchi informed him, watching as his gold eyes rolled and he tilted his head, the very picture of exasperation.

“Why? You said Hinata wouldn’t be home all night.” Tsukishima grumbled, beginning to rub his fingers up and down their sides. It tickled, but they refrained from shivering at the feeling of pleasure that slid down toward their cock.

“I didn’t literally mean all night, he’ll be home eventually.” Yamaguchi responded, rolling their own eyes at Tsukishima’s pure impatience. As cute as it was, they really didn’t want to be found by Hinata on the couch with Tsukishima. They would never live that down, and neither would Tsukishima.

“Plus, that’s where I keep the lube and condoms.” Yamaguchi added on when this didn’t seem to convince Tsukishima well enough. The blonde perked up instantly, eyes going wide with surprise.

“You have lube and condoms?” He asked, shocked that his pure, innocent significant other kept lube and condoms in their room. Yamaguchi felt a blush creep up their cheeks and they looked away.

“Yeah, I figured if I ever did lose my virginity, it would be best to keep some somewhere.” Yamaguchi responded, trying very hard to not look at the now grinning Tsukishima. The blonde opened his mouth to ask another question, but Yamaguchi cut him off. “I keep them up to date.”

A now grinning Tsukishima Kei gave in, sliding off of Yamaguchi’s chest and standing straight, offering a hand to them to help them up. Their kind gestures didn’t seem to last very long, as Tsukishima instantly pulled them in by the hips and kissed them hungrily, pushing their pants toward the floor and leaving them only in their boxers.

Fighting back, Yamaguchi slid their own fingers up Tsukishima’s chest, running the tips across his nipples, pleased to hear a small gasp as they did so. Breaking from their furious kissing, Yamaguchi pulled Tsukishima’s shirt over his head and drop it on the floor with Yamaguchi’s pants.

“It’s the door just there.” Yamaguchi pointed out between breaths and kisses. Tsukishima glanced halfheartedly toward the door they indicated and began pushing them hungrily backward until they were pressed against the wall beside the door. Moans escaped Yamaguchi’s lips as Tsukishima bit their lower lip, their neck, their shoulder, playing with their nipples the whole while.

“You…missed the door.” Yamaguchi teased, pulling Tsukishima closer while weaving fingers through short blonde hair. Tsukishima laughed against their chest, hands running down their sides, tucking into the elastic of their boxers. With a long groan from Yamaguchi, Tsukishima slid the article of clothing to the floor, allowing them to pool at Yamaguchi’s feet. 

Chilly apartment air tickled Yamaguchi’s skin, causing them to shiver involuntarily as the air cooled their heated cock, now free from the confines of all clothing. 

Fumbling, blinded by the pleasure coming from Tsukishima’s kisses and touches, Yamaguchi found the doorknob and opened his bedroom door, dragging Tsukishima by the back of the neck to join him in the room. As soon as they were inside, Tsukishima pushed them against the edge of the bed, making them fall backward in much the same manner as he had with the couch. 

“Tsukki…the…lube….” A moan escaped their lips before they could finish their request, but Tsukishima got the gist of what they were saying. With a sigh, he pushed himself off of them and closed the door, looking around at the beautiful room. There was a massive collection of lotions on the dresser, but he doubted there was lube there.

“It’s in the desk drawer. Bottom left.” Yamaguchi muttered, still painting from the effect Tsukishima was having on them. They pulled themselves further onto the bed and righted themselves so their feet were toward the end. Spreading their legs they tentatively began rubbing a hand up and down their cock, groaning at the pure pleasure coursing through their body.

Tsukishima headed toward the desk, crouching low to reach for the bottom drawer Yamaguchi was talking about. It was pressed against the wall right against the dresser. It only opened halfway and even then, Tsukishima didn’t see anything inside. Dipping a hand into the drawer he felt around until he found a bottle and some plastic squares. He had to pull them out one at a time because his hand almost didn’t fit out of the drawer with the lube bottle in it. 

When he finally turned around he found Yamaguchi sitting on the bed, back arched slightly on pleasure, hips grinding up into their hands as they slowly pumped themselves. Tsukishima’s own dick twitched in the confines of his pants and he immediately dropped the cardigan and jeans and joined Yamaguchi on the bed.

“You’re impatient.” Tsukishima muttered, feeling his mouth go dry at the sight of Yamaguchi in such a sensitive state. All they did was groan in response, making Tsukishima’s dick twitch again as he crawled up to them until he was above them, the sight of their closed eyes, brows drawn together, mouth open and panting heavily making him want to kiss them so hard they came just from his mouth.

Slowly he leaned forward and kissed them on the lips, forcing their mouth to be busy as he directed his own hand down toward his boxers, pulling them slowly down his waist until they slid to his knees on the bed. Cock now free, he pressed himself down against Yamaguchi’s body and freed their hand from their own dick so he could grab it instead, grasping both his cock and theirs in his hand and pumping them slowly.

“Tsukki….” Yamaguchi groaned through his lips, body twitching and flinching as Tsukishima slowly pumped their cocks together, pressing kisses to already made hickeys and licking at their nipples, which were slightly red and still firm. 

Slowly the blonde pressed kisses down their neck and shoulder and toward their chest where he licked their nipples and continued to kiss toward their navel. He released their cocks, releasing a moan from Yamaguchi as he did so, so that he could press kisses against their pelvis around their hair. 

Gently he grabbed the base of their cock, ducking his head between their legs and holding them open with his free hand. Softly he pressed kisses to their dick, earning pleasurable shutters from Yamaguchi. When he reached the head he licked the pre cum from it slowly, grinning slightly when Yamaguchi shouted at the action. He looked up to find them pressing a hand against their mouth, embarrassed by the noise.

“You don’t have to be quiet. Hinata’s not home.” Tsukishima whispered, pressing a few kisses on the inside of their thighs to allow them to collect themselves. They nodded, shuddering as Tsukishima left kisses close to the base of their cock, lifting their hand and knotting it into the blankets instead. 

“Good.” Tsukishima muttered, placing both hands on Yamaguchi’s thighs to open them as far as they would go before leaning forward and licking up their member. Yamaguchi moaned Tsukishima’s name, making his cock jump from the pleasure of hearing Yamaguchi say his name that way. 

“Keep talking.” He muttered, pressing his lips to the tip of their dick and then opening his mouth around the head until his lips slid down the skin toward the based and his mouth was full of Yamaguchi. Moaning and whispering and muttering could be heard from Yamaguchi as Tsukishima pulled up slowly and they groaned in a single, long breath. Smiling as he sucked Yamaguchi’s dick, Tsukishima felt pleasure at the fact that Yamaguchi was so vocal. 

Beautiful, he thought, as he slid his mouth down their cock once more.

“Tsukki….” They moaned, a hand finding Tsukishima’s head and wrapping their fingers in his blonde locks. “Tsukki….” Again and again they moaned his name, making his dick twitch with every word. He began to bob faster, pressing his tongue to the tip of their dick every time he came back up. Groans and shivers wracked Yamaguchi’s body. 

“Tsukki…ah! Tsukki, I’m…I’m getting close.” Yamaguchi mumbled, voice barely working through the pleasure of the blow job they were receiving. With a beautiful pop, Tsukishima released Yamaguchi and the smaller person moaned, hips pressing upward in attempts to find something to release the tension. 

“Call me by my first name.” Tsukishima whispered, kissing Yamaguchi’s thigh one more time before sitting up and grabbing the bottle of lube. Yamaguchi nodded, desperate for any feeling whatsoever.

“Kei, please. I…need you.” Yamaguchi whined. Tsukishima had to grab his cock and start pumping the twitch was so bad. As he did this he poured a good amount of lube against Yamaguchi’s entrance, pleased at the beautiful tightness of it. They shivered at the strange feeling but let out another whine, pleading for Tsukishima to touch them.

Gently, Tsukishima brushed his fingers against their entrance, pleased as they shivered and moaned some more, pleading his name over and over again, each time he pumped his dick harder. After sufficiently spreading the lube around their entrance and his own fingers, Tsukishima pressed his index finger gently against it, urging the entrance to open up to him and allow him in.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi shouted, body thrusting upward suddenly as pleasure wracked their body thoroughly. Tsukishima groaned as he pumped his cock, listening as Yamaguchi panted and moaned, pressing his finger deeper, carefully and slowly. 

“What’s my name?” Tsukishima prompted, pressing the finger in further, watching Yamaguchi’s face carefully, afraid he might go too far. Whining and pleading, Yamaguchi called his name, his first name, over and over until his finger was completely inside of them. 

As they moaned and pleaded for more, he pumped his dick and pressed circles inside of Yamaguchi, pressing in and out of their entrance carefully. When he believed he had played around enough, he settled a second finger near their entrance, making them shudder at the feeling.

“Is two okay?” He asked, watching their face carefully, a hand having been placed over their forehead as if to hide their eyes. 

“Please, Kei, another.” Yamaguchi pleaded and Tsukishima obliged slowly, allowing his finger to work their tight hole open further to allow room for his dick. Yamaguchi groaned some more, body thrusting upward as if to satisfy their cock. Several more minutes of this left Yamaguchi panting heavily.

“Tsukki…Kei…Kei, I’m….close….”Yamaguchi moaned, alerting Tsukishima to their current state. Noting this, Tsukishima pulled his fingers from their hole, earning a long moan from Yamaguchi, who looked up and watched as Tsukishima smiled at them, pumping his own cock.

“Please, Kei….please…I want you…in me.” Yamaguchi whined. Tsukishima didn’t need asking twice as he tore open the condom and slipped it on, grabbing the lube and covering himself thoroughly so he didn’t hurt Yamaguchi. 

When he was ready, he pressed the head of his cock to Yamaguchi’s widened entrance and then paused.

“Are you sure?” Tsukishima asked softly, watching Yamaguchi’s face, which was now relaxed, no longer enduring such intense pleasure. 

“Kei, I’m…definitely sure. Now….enter me.” Yamaguchi responded, face turning insistent for a moment, making Tsukishima grin. Slowly, he pressed his dick into Yamaguchi’s entrance, their back arching and shouts leaving their mouth as he did so. He watched their expression as best he could, their face slightly out of view as they arched further and further backward, pleasure rolling through his body as he watched.

Gently he pressed further and further until his hips pressed against their thighs and his dick disappeared completely into their entrance.

“I’m…all in.” Tsukishima felt his calm demeanor fading as he pressed his dick into the hot tightness of Yamaguchi’s hole. There was laughter from Yamaguchi, prompting Tsukishima to lean forward so he could look into their eyes.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, voice hoarse from lack of saliva. They grinned up at him and pulled him in for a kiss, weaving their fingers into his hair.

“We’re…we’re one, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi laughed, grinning from ear to ear as they kissed him more and more, pressing soft kisses against every inch of his face. Tsukishima grinned, glad Yamaguchi was so happy. They meant a lot to him and he was glad they were feeling okay, glad they felt loved, and glad that they loved him so much.

Then he moved.

“Ah!” Yamaguchi shouted, fingers tightening in Tsukishima’s hair, making him flinch slightly sa they did so. Slowly and carefully he began to pull out, listening as Yamaguchi pleaded his name, shouts of pleasure interrupting their whining. 

“Tsukki…ah…Kei…Kei….” Yamaguchi muttered, mouth running over and over the same several words, occasionally broken by long moans of pleasure. Gently, Tsukishima began to push back in until he was all the way in again and then began to thrust softly, in and out. Yamaguchi’s body shook with the pleasure, their voice pleading and cracking, hoarse from so much talking.

Encouraged by Yamaguchi’s pleading, Tsukishima continued to thrust, moving a bit faster with Yamaguchi’s requests, pressing firmly against their entrance with each thrust. He began to move faster, his own breaths coming in short as pleasure wracked his body, bringing him near the edge. Yamaguchi continued to plead and whine and demand Tsukishima go faster. The longer they went, the less Yamaguchi’s calls were whining and pleading and the more they were demanding and commanding. 

“Kei…Kei…ah…g-AH!” Yamaguchi shouted as Tsukishima thrust particularly hard and they came in a single, swift spurt of cum that spilled all over their stomach and across their chest. Tsukishima followed right after, body tensing and releasing into Yamaguchi, his attempts to continue thrusting them both through it stuttered and short. 

When they both finished, Tsukishima pulled his dick from Yamaguchi and fell over onto his back, dragging himself further up the bed until he was beside Yamaguchi and could slip an arm underneath them and pull them close.

Pressing kisses against their cheeks, Tsukishima thanked them and praised them, giving them compliments until they could breath properly.

“Tsukki…that was…really good. Thank you.” Yamaguchi whispered, pressing a kiss against Tsukishima’s ear as they said it. Tsukishima felt his face heat up at this and nuzzled his face against Yamaguchi’s shoulder. 

“We should probably clean up.” Yamaguchi mused, looking down their stomach to where cum covered their navel. Tsukishima groaned into their shoulder, exhaustion taking him over. They laughed softly, continuing to insist they clean up for another several minutes until they realized Tsukishima had fallen asleep, then they stopped insisting and stood, grabbing tissues from the box beside their dresser.

Slowly they cleaned the cum off their stomach and the lube from their entrance, flinching as they pressed against the sensitive area. Sliding onto the bed they cleaned off what cum had gotten onto Tsukishima and then pulled the condom off, wiping cum from his dick, careful not to wake him up.

As soon as they were done, they curled back up against his side and fell asleep, a smile on their face.

\----

A thud came startled Yamaguchi awake, still nuzzled up against Tsukishima. The blonde was already stirring, trying to listen out the door without disturbing Yamaguchi.

“There’s someone in the living room.” Tsukishima muttered, sleep still dripping from his voice, pressing his glasses into the proper position. Yamaguchi tried not to laugh at the fact that he had fallen asleep with them on.

“It’s probably Hinata.” Yamaguchi responded, sleep still making their mind groggy. They jumped when they heard another loud noise and shouting, not loud enough to be concerning or comprehensible, but enough to confuse Yamaguchi.

“What time is it?” Tsukishima asked, searching the room for the clock sitting on the nightstand on Yamaguchi’s side of the bed. The bright red numbers read only minutes before midnight, but the thumps coming from the other room suggested earlier in the day. Hinata was careful not to make any noise if he knew Yamaguchi was asleep.

“I’ll go see what’s going on.” Yamaguchi offered, pushing themselves to their feet and stumbling in the dark. Tsukishima pushed himself up as well, getting off the bed as Yamaguchi picked something off the floor randomly and slipped it on. As they left the room, Tsukishima recognized it as his cardigan sweater.

Finding his pants where he had left them on the floor mere hours ago, he pulled them over his hips and headed toward the door when a shouted made him move faster.

“Hinata!” Yamaguchi exclaimed as Tsukishima left the room, zipping his pants up just in time to be met by the bright light of the living room where two people sat on the couch. Both shot to their feet and untangled themselves from each other, standing several feet apart. Tsukishima took a step forward so he was closer to Yamaguchi and shot both people a disgusted look.

“Yamaguchi! I didn’t think you’d be awake!” Hinata shouted, bright red face making his head look like a sunset in the living room. Kageyama, mere feet from him, avoided looking anywhere near Yamaguchi, hands fidgeting nervously with his fingers, shuffling between being shoved into his pockets and at his sides. Tsukishima was sure he’d be playing with the hem of his shirt, if he was wearing one.

“I wasn’t. I heard a crash and was wondering what was going on.” Yamaguchi responded, looking between Hinata and Kageyama with a look that seemed mixed between joy, amusement, and bewilderment. 

“I…uh…Kageyama and I…we…were….” Hinata stuttered, looking up to find Tsukishima behind Yamaguchi, his eyes going immediately wider than they had already been. That seemed almost impossible, but it happened.

“Did you guys just-“ Hinata cut himself off when he finally registered Yamaguchi wearing nothing but Tsukishima’s cardigan and Tsukishima wearing only pants. “Oh my-“ He was cut off again by the look Tsukishima shot him.

“Were you and Kageyama out on a date?” Yamaguchi asked, looking over to where Kageyama stood. He was no longer avoiding Yamaguchi’s gaze at all, but was staring agape at Tsukishima, a look mixed between disgust and admiration on his face. Tsukishima didn’t know what was worse, knowing Hinata and Kageyama were about to do it, or that Kageyama was admiring Tsukishima’s ability to do it. 

“Yeah, uh, we went out…together.” Hinata muttered, fumbling with his shirt, drawing attention to the fact that he wasn’t wearing any pants. Tsukishima was further disgusted, something he was surprised could even happen at this point. Was it possible to become more disgusted?

“We’ve actually been dating for a while. Kageyama wanted to…uh…d-do it tonight…for the first time.” Hinata stuttered, flinching when Kageyama shot out a hand and smacked him on the back of the head. “What was that for?!” Hinata shouted, turning to Kageyama, hand shooting to the back of his head to rub it.

“Idiot, don’t just tell them it’s my first time!” Kageyama shouted, face redder than it had been earlier. Tsukishima couldn’t help but be a bit surprised, despite his disgust, that Kageyama was a virgin. Wait, was Hinata not a virgin? Oh gosh…. Tsukishima didn’t want to think about that.

“It’s okay Kageyama, it was my first too.” Yamaguchi offered and Tsukishima finally decided enough was enough.

“Alright, well, it’s nice to know Yamaguchi wasn’t being robbed, but we’re going to go back to bed before this gets worse than it already is.” Tsukishima muttered, grabbing Yamaguchi by the shoulders and directing them toward the bedroom, ignoring Hinata’s goodbyes and closing the door behind him.

“It’s nice that Hinata likes Kageyama.” Yamaguchi said, dropping the cardigan to the ground and revealing their beautiful, lithe body. Tsukishima took it all in while grunting an indifferent agreement.

“It’s a little disgusting, but at least he’s happy.” Tsukishima responded, stepping forward and unzipping his jeans before dropping them to his ankles and grabbing Yamaguchi by the hips, pressing himself against their back.

“You want to go again?” Yamaguchi asked, turning their head to look toward Tsukishima, who was beginning to press kisses to their neck again. There was a muffled ‘yes’ from Tsukishima before Yamaguchi turned and, with more strength than Tsukishima was aware they had, threw Tsukishima toward the bed.

“Then let me please you.” They teased, giving Tsukishima a look that already had his dick twitching. Grinning back at Yamaguchi, Tsukishima let them pleasure him until they were both too tired to do anymore and Hinata and Kageyama’s noises had faded entirely. Then they fell asleep in each others’ arms, still smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Fin (it'll be short)
> 
> [Fandom Blog](http://lovers-be-nerds.tumblr.com/)  
> [Art Blog](http://willow-tea.tumblr.com/)


	16. Picture Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school year draws to an end and everyone feels loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sappy fluff warning! There's mention and allusion to nsfw, but nothing happens. Thank you all for joining me on this wild ride, it sure was a long one! It brings me great joy and sadness to end my (currently) longest fic, but I'm glad it became so popular and everyone enjoyed it. Thank you to all who commented and gave me kudos, you have no idea how much that means. Enjoy the chapter, have a wonderful life, and maybe check out some of my other works (another Haikyuu!! fic coming soon).

Lazy morning light trickled through the blinds of the dark apartment room, illuminating very little and casting shadows everywhere else. Two people lay together in a twin sized bed, barely big enough for both of them but still comfortable. They had grown used to sleeping so close together, since neither of them owned anything bigger than a twin. 

The light filtering in cast across Tsukishima’s face, making him flinch slightly at the brightness. Groaning, now awake and not too pleased, Tsukishima turned his head to where a sleeping Yamaguchi rested theirs. They were beginning to stir as well, probably due to Tsukishima’s own movements. 

“Morning.” Tsukishima mumbled, grinning sleepily at the lazy way Yamaguchi adjusted their head to stretch out the crick in their neck. They groaned, definitely not awake enough to respond, before giving Tsukishima a couple of lazy kisses on the neck.

“Your alarm hasn’t gone off yet.” They pointed out, voice barely audible through the sleep and Tsukishima’s neck. Laughing lightly, Tsukishima placed a few kisses to the top of Yamaguchi’s head, taking in their scent as he did so. Mornings like these had grown just a bit more common since the first night about a month ago. It was pleasant and Tsukishima appreciated them, especially when they woke up on mornings after nights where they hadn’t done anything.

“No, the sun woke me up.” Tsukishima grumbled, looking toward the window where the light filtered in at a sharp angle. It was still early in the morning, probably around seven or eight, half an hour before Tsukishima’s alarm would go off and a full two hours before his first class. He didn’t have his usual first class, the one with the big project, but the professor had instead told them to simply drop off their projects during his office hours. 

“Ugh, tell it to go back to sleep.” Yamaguchi grumbled, burying their face deeper into his shoulder, making him laugh some more. He had learned, on their first night together, that Yamaguchi was not a morning person. At all. They loved to sleep in late and had classes mostly in the afternoon, except when they couldn’t avoid it, and took their coffee rather strong, something that struck Tsukishima as both odd and endearing. 

“I can’t, Tadashi, it won’t listen to me, I’ve tried.” Tsukishima muttered, leaning his head up against theirs and closing his eyes against the warmth the sun now provided. It was perfection. If only they didn’t have class, Tsukishima would suggest staying in bed all day and not moving. But, as it was the last day of classes, they were going to have to get up eventually. Luckily, they still had some time before that was required.

“Isn’t your project due today?” Yamaguchi asked, muffled voice no longer sounding as sleepy. Instead, it sounded rather nervous, something Tsukishima had become accustomed to with Yamaguchi. Although, it never lasted as long as it had when they had first met. Yamaguchi was far more confident than when they met. 

“Yeah. I’m turning it in after my first class.” Tsukishima responded, not bothering to open his eyes as he said this. Yamaguchi groaned, clearly distressed about this news. “Don’t worry, it’s not like he’ll be grading you.” Tsukishima reassured them, grinning at their silliness. Sure, part of the grade was whether or not they chose an attractive model, but Tsukishima believed Yamaguchi was attractive and if he failed because his professor didn’t, then that was not his problem.

“I know, but he’ll be looking at me and that’s really awkward.” Yamaguchi whined, pulling Tsukishima closer as they spoke. Tsukishima’s bare torso pressed against Yamaguchi’s, providing a warmth that the sun couldn’t even begin to provide.

“Yamaguchi, it’ll be fine. He’s only looking at the pictures, grading them, and then forgetting I ever gave them to him.” Tsukishima replied, laughing lightly and turning his head to give them more kisses on the head. They groaned, muttering that they know but it was just weird knowing the Tsukishima’s professor would be looking at them in weird poses and girly clothes. Nudging Yamaguchi with his head, Tsukishima prompted them to look up and they locked eyes.

“You’re handsome and you know it.” Tsukishima whispered, glad to see a smile grace that beautiful face. He gave them a gentle kiss on the forehead and then down their nose until he was finally able to meet their lips, smiling into the kiss.

There came a knocking on the apartment door, muffled and distant from its distance from Tsukishima’s room.

“Mmm, there’s someone at the door.” Yamaguchi mumbled, voice muffled slightly by the fact that Tsukishima still had his lips pressed to theirs. He groaned but didn’t pull away.

“They’ll go away eventually.” Tsukishima responded, pulling back far enough to look into Yamaguchi’s eyes. They gave him a teasing look, but he only felt his hear swell with joy at seeing them look at him that way. 

“Tsukki….” Yaaguchi started, voice fading off as they kissed him cuddling in closer. It was still a while before his alarm would go off, so they pressed tighter against each other and closed their eyes, ready to fall asleep for as long as they were permitted.

“Kei!” With a bang the door to the bedroom shot open and a tall man with light brown hair walked in, looking around with an expression of deep concern on his face. When he spotted Tsukishima on the bed, now shooting into a seated position, eyes wide with shock, he took a step toward the door.

“Akiteru! What the hell!?” Tsukishima shouted, pulling the blanket up slightly as it threatened to slide down his bare torso. Unlike the last time his brother had done this, Tsukishima wasn’t wearing anything at all, and neither was Yamaguchi. 

“Ah, I, uh, didn’t know you had a guest.” Akiteru was clearly flustered, looking between Kei and Yamaguchi, who was now extremely red in the face and trying their best to hide behind Tsukishima. 

“Even if I didn’t, that’s still no excuse to come bursting in like that!” Tsukishima scolded, pulling himself into a seated position and propping his back against his pillows. Yamaguchi followed suit, pulling the blanket toward themselves as best they could. 

“No one answered the door. I was worried.” Akiteru explained, leaning against the door frame and giving Tsukishima big, puppy dog eyes. That had never worked with Tsukishima and it wasn’t going to start working any time soon.

“That still doesn’t give you the excuse to come barging in.” Tsukishima growled, rubbing his hands down his face in attempts to hide the blush that was now crawling up his face. Akiteru knew Yamaguchi was his significant other, but other than that, Tsukishima never told his brother anything. Now, there they were, sitting naked in bed with Akiteru in the doorway. Absolutely wonderful.

“Sorry, Kei. I won’t do it again.” Akiteru mumbled, looking down at the ground and scuffing his foot disappointedly at the floor. Tsukishima grumbled something under his breath about not believing that for a second, but Akiteru didn’t hear him. For a few seconds, there was no sound between the three of them before Tsukishima looked back at Akiteru.

“Well? Aren’t you going to leave?” Tsukishima asked, gesturing toward the door, which was where Akiteru was standing anyway. His eyes lit up and he looked out the door and then back toward Tsukishima.

“I was hoping we could go get coffee. I can, uh, pay for yours.” Akiteru offered, looking between Yamaguchi and Tsukishima as he said this. Tsukishima rolled his eyes, aware this was why Akiteru had come unannounced.

“We need to get dressed first.” Tsukishima pointed out, indicating the pile of clothes on the floor and the blanket over their legs. Akiteru, now turning his own shade of pink, nodded hastily, muttering things about ‘of course you do’ and ‘sorry about that’ before ducking out the door and closing it behind him.

For a moment, Tsukishima groaned into his hands, jumping suddenly when his alarm went off.

“Time to get up.” Yamaguchi chuckled, earning a halfhearted laugh from Tsukishima when they said this. Rolling his eyes, Tsukishima threw the blanket off of him and headed toward the dresser where he began to grab things to wear. Yamaguchi stood as well, grabbing the bag they had brought with them.

Tsukishima watched as they dressed, taking in the beautiful way their muscles flexed and their hips rolled. He was a bit disappointed when they were finished, but smiled at the simple sun dress they had put on, finding it adorable and sweet the way they dressed.

“You look lovely.” He whispered once they had turned back toward him. He grabbed them by the hips and gave them a soft kiss on the lips, working a smile onto their face in the process.

“You look nice as well.” Yamaguchi complimented, patting Tsukishima on the chest before grabbing the clothes they had left on the floor and shoving them into their bag and heading out the door. Tsukishima followed, sighing at dark brown locks and freckles on exposed shoulders. What beauty. 

“You two ready to go?” Akiteru asked, standing when they both entered the room. Tsukishima glared in his direction, earning a sheepish smiled in return. 

“We need breakfast.” Tsukishima pointed out, heading toward the cupboard where he kept the pop tarts.

“I can buy you guys some stuff at Karasuno.” Akiteru offered quickly, freezing Tsukishima in his tracks. Hinata made some of the best pastries and cakes, and Akiteru was offering to spend money that they wouldn’t need to. He smiled and turned back toward his brother.

“That sounds nice.” He responded, dumping on the sarcastic sweetness as best as he could muster. Yamaguchi punched him lightly in the arm, scolding him for teasing his brother.

“Alright, then we should head out.” Akiteru suggested, heading toward the door right as Kuroo’s bedroom door opened slowly and a sleepy Kuroo stepped out, rubbing his eyes and closing the door behind him. His hair was sticking up in all possible directions, although it was brushed completely out of his face so they could see both his eyes clearly.

Tsukishima sometimes forgot that he had fallen for that face.

“Morning, Kuroo.” Akiteru greeted, abandoning leaving immediately to say hi to the not so morning person.

“Mornin’.” Kuroo mumbled, scratching an itch on his bare chest where small pink marks could be found. Tsukishima smirked, knowing very well who had left those marks. Before Akiteru could ask Kuroo how he was doing, the bedroom door opened again, much to Akiteru’s surprise, and Kenma stepped out wearing nothing but a rather large sweatshirt.

“Ah…uh…good morning.” Akiteru said, flustered beyond words at the sight of Kenma in Kuroo’s favorite sweatshirt. It sagged off one shoulder to reveal dark purple marks twice the size of the ones on Kuroo. Kenma waved a hand tiredly and entered the kitchen behind Kuroo, who appeared to be falling asleep at the counter.

“Let’s go, Aki.” Tsukishima suggested, trying very hard not to laugh at the expression on Akiteru’s face. The man had just walked in on two rather scandalous scenes, but after watching him react to Kuroo and Kenma, it was actually kind of funny.

“Right, let’s go.” Akiteru agreed, opening the door and exiting faster than Tsukishima thought possible. Snickering at Akiteru’s actions, he followed, laughing harder when Yamaguchi nudged him roughly. He couldn’t help it, it was hilarious! Akiteru had officially learned his lesson on barging into Tsukishima and Kuroo’s apartment without being allowed in.

\----

Tsukishima successfully turned in the project to his professor, who thanked him and then stopped him before he left. To Tsukishima’s great surprise, the man thanked him again, for remaining calm despite the class’ childish behavior.

“I’ve heard of this Yamaguchi Tadashi, and I’m glad you chose him as your subject. That class needed to see that anyone can be a model. Opinion is what makes someone beautiful, not some stupid societal standards. Of course, you can also make someone beautiful, depending on how you filter the images.” He said, patting Tsukishima on the shoulder before letting him go.

After that, he had one class and then was free for the rest of the summer. He met up with Yamaguchi, who mentioned that Hinata and Kageyama had planned an end of the school year party at everyone’s favorite karaoke joint. Agreeing to tag along, Tsukishima was pleased to talk with Ukai and Takeda, who were apparently discussing marriage, much to everyone’ joy. 

He turned to Bokuto and Akaashi, both talking to Daichi and Suga about marriage and their own thoughts. Daichi said that he had been intending on proposing for a long time and then dropped to one knee right then and there. Bokuto insisted to Akaashi, for the rest of the night, that they should get married too and Akaashi tried to ward him off as best he could telling him that they needed to talk about it first. 

Kuroo held Kenma’s hand the entire night and talked to just about everybody with a boisterous attitude and loud voice. Kenma remained by his side, smiling fondly as he listened to his boyfriend’s rants. However, when Kuroo spoke to Kenma, his volume dropped and his eyes softened. Perhaps Kenma was having more of an effect on him than I originally thought, Tsukishima wondered, watching them with a happy fondness.

Hinata and Kageyama were not shy around everyone else, after their first night together they had decided they didn’t need to hide their relationship from everyone else. Oddly enough, and to Tsukishima’s relief, this didn’t mean that they held hands kissed every five seconds. Rather, everything seemed to have returned to how it was when they had first become friends. Shouting, bickering, pushing, and competing were normal.

However, occasionally Tsukishima would catch Kageyama giving Hinata a kiss, Hinata looking bashful and embarrassed, Kageyama more in love than Tsukishima had ever seen anyone look. 

He and Yamaguchi spent the night enjoying the company of their friends, loving every second of the group that loved them for who they were. Because Tsukishima knew he was worth the attention, that they were his true friends. And Yamaguchi understood how truly beautiful they were and no one could ever tell them otherwise or they would answer to their fist. 

When they went home that night, happy and maybe just a bit drunk, they fell into Tsukishima’s bed, kissing and whispering compliments to each other, laughing softly as they muttered ‘I love you’s. Tsukishima rocked Yamaguchi to sleep in his arms, kissing their freckles with gentle kindness, counting each one he pressed his lips to, reveling in the numberless beauty marks, like those of the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fin
> 
> [Fandom Blog](http://lovers-be-nerds.tumblr.com/)  
> [Art Blog](http://willow-tea.tumblr.com/)


End file.
